Batgirl of the Future: The Call
by Watership's Nightwish Rat
Summary: During an unexpected visit by Superman, half-siblings Terry McGinnis and Coba Brooklyn are given an offer beyond their wildest dreams: spots in the Justice League. Superman explains to them that he suspects there is a traitor within the group, but Coba is quick to know that something else is at play. To top it off, the rest of the team do not want Batman or Batgirl there...
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes:**

**I wasn't sure if I wanted to make another **_**BOTF**_** story, but I decided to anyway. Here's the prologue for the fourth story! I know that not everyone who is a big _Batman Beyond_ fan is crazy about the two-part episode "The Call" (I know I'm not), but I thought it would be both fun _and_ interesting to add in my OC Coba Brooklyn (and mess with the plot a bit in the process, as I always do). I do not own _Batman Beyond_ or it's characters. If I did, a few episodes would've been different and Mad Stan would've been voiced by ****Nicholas Cage ('cause I think he's pretty good at acting crazy like Stan is (and no one has to agree with me on that: I'm well aware that there are people who do not like Cage all that much)).**

**Also: before we get started, I would like to list a recommended order of reading for the _BOTF_ saga to help avoid too much confusion among readers as to what's being referenced in any of the stories.**

**1. Rebirth**

**2. Running Out of Inque**

**3. Remember**

**4. Eyewitness of the Past**

**5. The Call**

**All that being said, please R&R and enjoy...**

* * *

**Metropolis, November 2041.**

"Ms. Waller will see you now, Miss Brooklyn."

Coba Brooklyn stood up from the chair she had been sitting in and followed the receptionist addressing her out of the waiting room and into the vast hallway. They came to a stop in a room, which was the largest in the building aside from the waiting room, at the end of the hallway. Without saying a word, the receptionist left the vast room and shut the door, leaving Coba confused and perturbed. "It's quite alright, Miss Brooklyn," a new female voice said from inside the room. "You're not in any danger."

The teen looked in the direction of the voice, her gaze stopping at the sight of a woman she correctly guessed to be in her late sixties. "Amanda Waller, I presume?" she asked.

The woman stepped forward and outstretched her hand. "Correct, young girl. It is quite a pleasure to meet you at last. I've heard a lot about you."

Coba politely shook the woman's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, I'm sure. Bruce Wayne told me a lot about you. I understand you wanted to see me about an important matter. Is this true?"

"That is also correct." Waller gestured to a chair that was positioned in front of her coffee table, which in turn was placed in front of her favorite armchair. "Please, have a seat and make yourself at home. There's some herbal tea if you would like some."

Knowing now that she was not being tricked into some sort of trap (as well as Waller being more hospitible than Bruce had described her to be), Brooklyn sat down in the chair. "What exactly do you want to discuss?" she inquired her host.

Amanda smiled harmlessly at Batgirl as she sat down in her armchair. "For the past few weeks, Superman has been evading conversation with me," she explained. "He came up to me yesterday, though, and mentioned that he had not been himself during those weeks. He also described how you and your brother, the current Batman, had briefly joined the Justice League save him and the rest of the world. However, he did not explain very much and felt that it was not up to him to describe it. Do you mind speaking about your experience with the League as well as how you met Superman?"

Brooklyn thought it over, then shook her head. "I don't mind talking about it," she confessed, "but I feel that I need Superman's permission to do so. It was a troubling experience for him, you see."

"Actually, Miss Brooklyn, he told me you were the only one honest, sympathetic and insightful enough to talk about it." Waller smiled a little. "I had a hard time believing him when he said you're more insightful than Kai-Ro, the current Green Lantern. I guess another reason why I want to hear about the recent problem is that I'm curious to see if what all Superman has told me about you is true."

"Would he lie to you?" Coba asked suspiciously.

Waller quickly shook her head. "Heavens no, but his views are often clouded."

Coba masterfully hid her disappointment that Waller doubted her- -and one of the world's greatest superheroes, for that matter. _Still_, she thought grimly, _after what happened, I wouldn't blame her for not trusting his views_. "Well, it all started one afternoon on a routine patrol around Gotham City..."


	2. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor

**Gotham City.  
****One week earlier.**

"Our hunch paid off," Batman said into his com-link as he flew the Batmobile after another flying vehicle.

A small figure next to him tapped his shoulder. "Educated guess," she corrected.

"Whatever, Coba," Batman muttered, rolling his eyes. He turned his attention back to the com-link. "Inque was after the prototype battle-pod."

"That figures," a gruff voice at the other end of their com-links stated. "Any terrorist organization would pay a fortune for it."

"Then I hope they didn't pay in advance," Terry said with a smirk, "'cause they're not getting this one." He pressed a button in the Batmobile, shooting out a small, electric claw-like contraption at the battle-pod.

The battle-pod was suddenly consumed by the electricity. The power shut off inside of it before Inque could do anything to stop it. "What?!" she exclaimed in surprise, previously unaware that she was being tailed by the Bats.

Batman steered the Batmobile after the slowly descending pod, not once letting it out of his sight. After about a minute, Inque's vehicle crashed into a pond. Not wiling to let another moment slip away, the oozy villain launched herself to the bank. She jumped up onto a cement wall and jumped to the other side of it, landing in the sea lion part of the zoo. Batman and Batgirl glided out of the Batmobile and pursued her, both landing on a tall rock in the water. They looked at the different banks, but they could not see their target. Coba's eyes settled on a group of seals. _Aw, they're so adorable!_ she thought. _It's still strange, though: one of them is black and oddly sleek while the others have course brown fur- -_"Wait a minute," she muttered, becoming serious once more.

The black seal shifted into the all-too familiar form of Inque and lunged at the two Bats. Coba grabbed her half-brother and flew herself and him into the air as Inque sliced a sharp arm at them. Once they were a hundred feet above her, Inque jumped back to dry land and was on the run again. Coba allowed Batman to fly away from her once she knew he had an idea of what was going on. Inque grabbed a bench as Batman landed on the edge of a concrete wall and slammed it into his face. McGinnis grunted in pain as he was launched into the seals' water.

Batgirl watched as a person wearing green clothes and a green cap stopped in the middle of Inque's route of escape. The person scowled at the villain as if challenging her. Inque responded by lunging at the man. Coba quickly tossed an electric batarang at the woman. Immediately seeing the dangerous weapon, Inque dodged the attack and shot one of her arms at the vigilante. Coba managed to swerve out of the arm's path, but lost control of her gliders and crashed into a nearby tree. Before the man standing in Inque's path could do anything, Inque tightly wrapped herself around him. Batman came running towards them as Brooklyn tried to get herself out of the tree to help both men.

"Okay, Bats," Inque said spitefully, "back off! Unless you want to see me put the squeeze on him."

"He's just an innocent bystander, Inque," Terry said gruffly.

_But _is_ he just an innocent bystander?_ Coba wondered, remembering how he had scowled at Inque.

"Too bad for him," Inque shot back.

The man looked up at Terry seriously. "I'll take it from here, Batman," he said gruffly. He started spinning in circles at an alarmingly fast rate, sending parts of the screaming Inque flying all over the place.

Batman stood his ground as steadily as he could, despite the wind that tried to knock him down. Batgirl clung tightly to the tree, swerving her head left and right to avoid getting hit by particles of the villain. The man stopped spinning. While Batman pinned the greatly weakened Inque down with his foot, Coba noticed that the man was no longer wearing the green outfit, but instead wore a black and white suit. The girl joined her half-brother as the man turned around to face them. Both teens' eyes went wide with surprise. "Superman!" they breathed in shock.

~!~

Terry and Coba led Superman down into the Batcave. At first Terry was not sure if Bruce would appreciate them showing the cave to the superhero, but Coba and Kent patiently explained to the boy that he had been there before. "How is it that you know more about it than Terry does?" Clark whispered to the girl. "I thought he's supposed to know more about these things than his sidekicks."

"I was adopted by Bruce about a year ago," Coba explained. "He showed me around the cave before he got to show it all to Terry. Bruce figured it would be best for him to learn how to stop crime while in the field while I learned how to stop it in the cave because of my bad leg, and I agreed."

"Why didn't you go in the field with your brother?" Clark inquired. "Also, why doesn't he live with you and Bruce?

Coba swallowed hard, remembering the grim events that answered those questions. "It's a long and complicated story in both cases," she told him. "I'll tell you later if you'd like."

Although Kent was still curious about it, he did not press Brooklyn to continue after seeing the saddened look on her face. "Yeah, later."

The trio came to a stop in front of the four cased costumes. Superman could not help but look at the first Batsuit, clearly reminiscing about the times when he and Bruce fought side by side. Coba chose this time to think over the oddness of Clark's timing during their chasing of Inque. _There's something he wants to ask us- -Bruce and Terry, at least_, she decided. _Something to do with the League, no doubt. But why did he choose now, of all times, to talk about it?_ It hit her. _The accident involving Micron._

Bruce took a few steps towards them from his computer chair in the cave. His face was a seemingly cold mask. Superman approached his old friend and held out a hand. "Good to see you again, Bruce," he said with a smile on his face, although he expected a cold response.

To Kent's surprise, Bruce smiled back and shook his hand. "It's certainly been a while," Bruce stated.

Terry and Coba each grinned from ear to ear at the sight of Wayne communicating with Superman. "You seem to be holding up pretty well," Kent complimented.

"Not exactly," the original Batman confessed with a frown. "I could use some of that Kryptonian DNA."

"You'll outlive us all, Bruce. You're too stubborn to die."

The siblings struggled hard to suppress their giggles, but to no avail. Bruce shot a Batglare at both of them. "What are you two laughing about?" he scowled.

Terry shrugged harmlessly. "Nothing."

Coba smiled bigger. "We're just thinking about when I told you the same thing a few months ago," she jeered.

Bruce rolled his eyes with an embarrassed grin as he turned his attention back to his old friend. His features became grim once more. "Shall we cut through the chit-chat? I know it wasn't Inque that brought you to Gotham."

Superman became grave. "I think it's time your protege joined the Justice League," he said bluntly.

The young Batman's eyes grew wide. "The Justice League?!" he asked excitedly. He did not notice Coba's equally surprised face.

Wayne was a bit concerned about Superman's statement. "I can't help but consider the timing. Is he supposed to be a replacement for Micron?"

"No," Clark answered. "This goes beyond that. "I've watched him. I've studied him. He's proved his valor. His time has come, Bruce. What d'ya say?"

"I don't think it's my decision to make," Bruce said gruffly. He and Superman both looked at Terry expectantly.

McGinnis was still overwhelmed by the invitation. "Justice League," he breathed. It took him a full minute to recover. "But what about Coba?"

"I was thinking about that just now, too," Clark said solemnly. "She's proved to be an excellent partner to anyone, and that she can do very well on her own if need be." He turned to Coba. "I usually don't ask sidekicks this question, but would you be willing to join?"

Coba was awestruck, but recovered four times faster than her brother did. She noticed the pleading look in Terry's eyes, and a nod of approval from Bruce. _Something odd is going on, though_, she thought. _Once I accept and get involved with this situation, t__here's no turning back._ The girl looked back at Superman and grinned. _Of course, when has _that_ ever stopped me?_ "Yeah, I'll join."


	3. Chapter 2: A Cold Welcome

**JLU Watchtower, Metropolis.**

If Coba was expecting the members of the League to warmly welcome her and Batman into the group, she would have been just as disappointed as her brother. Being a bit psychic, however, allowed her to see what their real response would be.

"This is League business," Big Barda, the current Wonder Woman, said angrily to Superman. "How _dare_ you bring them in without consulting us. It's completely against procedure."

Despite getting glared at by his fellow team members, Superman stood at Batman and Batgirl's defense. "Batman was one of the League's founding members," he argued.

"The _real _Batman," Warhawk scowled, "not this pointy-eared punk or his girlfriend."

Terry looked at Warhawk in surprise upon hearing this put-down. Coba, however, shot a tough Batglare at the hero. Warhawk and the others, except for Terry (who had become accustomed to these glares), flinched in surprise. Everyone had their attention on the small teen. "For one thing, it's not professional to insult him like that," Coba spat. "For another, I'm his _sister_, _not _his girlfriend. Is this what we get for looking up to you guys our whole lives and for wanting to help: a bunch of insults?"

"Silence, runt!" Barda barked.

Although Brooklyn felt like she had been slapped in the face and wanted to beat the tar out of Barda for calling her "runt"—a put-down she commonly heard from her enemies—she did as the heroine ordered. She managed to calm down a little when Terry placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Barda looked at Superman accusingly. "I thought we were a team! Slaves on Apokolips are treated with more respect."

A young Green Lantern, Kai-Ro, looked at Barda calmly. "Please," he pleaded, "anger only clouds the issue."

"Does it?" Warhawk snapped. "My beak tells me this stinks."

"I'm afraid Barda and Warhawk have a point," Aquagirl said almost as calmly as Kai-Ro had been when he addressed Wonder Woman. She looked down regretfully. "No offense," she said humbly to Superman.

"This isn't a discussion," Superman said flatly. "Like it or not, Batman and Batgirl stay."

Barda stormed out of the room, followed by Kai-Ro. Warhawk followed after them, but stopped in front of the two Bats. "Just stay out of my way, Juniors," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "Hawks eat rodents like you for breakfast."

Coba glared at him once more and smiled, her smile just as poisonous as her eyes. "Sorry to break this to ya," she said with an almost playful snarl, "but we're indigestible."

Warhawk glared at the girl before he stalked off after his teammates. Aquagirl walked past the Bats last, but was very apologetic towards them and Superman. _She holds a lot of respect for Clark, I know that much_, Coba thought.

"Maybe this was a mistake," Terry said regretfully.

"No," Kent said seriously. "I need someone I can trust."

The half-siblings looked at the hero in confusion. He had not yet told them exactly what was going on.

~!~

One hour after their bitter meeting with the rest of the League, Terry and Coba sat in the computer room, looking at files of each member. "Going over my file?" a familiar voice asked curiously.

Terry spun around in the computer chair as Coba turned off the computer screen and turned on her heel. "Aquagirl," Terry said in surprise.

"You guys can call me Marina," Aquagirl said with a smile.

"Marina," Terry repeated. "It's all a bit overwhelming." He looked down shamefully. "I don't think we got off to a good start today."

"Which we didn't," Coba muttered.

"Give them time," Marina said patiently. "Everyone's on edge since Micron's accident."

"I'm sorry," Coba said apologetically.

Marina shrugged. "Occupational hazard, I guess. Either of you wanna join me for a swim?"

Terry and Coba both shook their heads. "Thanks, but we're kinda crammed," Terry answered. "This League stuff is still new to us- -well, me at least."

"Maybe later, then." Aquagirl was about to turn and leave, but then remembered something. "Hey, Batgirl, can I have a word with you?"

Coba knew it had something to do with her outburst earlier, but nodded and followed the heroine out of the room after shooting Terry a look that informed him she'd be back in a minute. "What's up?" she asked Aquagirl.

"I was thinking about what you said earlier, about our behavior towards you," Marina explained. "You were out of line to express that."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Coba said guiltily.

"I'm sorry, too. We were out of line, as well. I guess we're just- -"

"- -worked up about what happened to Micron," Coba finished. She was immediately ashamed when Marina's shocked face looked at her. "Sorry, it's a habit."

Aquagirl shrugged it off. "What I'm trying to say is... you were right: we were in the wrong." She was silent for a moment. "You know, Superman bringing you both here is a blessing."

Although she knew where this conversation was going, Coba could not help but ask, "What do you mean?"

"Well, a little while ago I couldn't help but think that maybe Micron's accident was _not_ an accident," Marina explained. "It's too weird."

"I know what you mean," Brooklyn agreed. "Micron always gets out of situations like that. Why did he not get out of that one?" The answer to that she already knew: a few minutes before Marina started talking to her and Batman, Superman had told the two half-siblings about a force field that the size-shifting hero could not get through. Who actually committed the crime—as well as why they did—was still a mystery, even to the young genius.

"I'm not sure, Batgirl," Aquagirl replied honestly. "I just hope it doesn't happen again later."

"Same here, although—" Coba stopped herself. _Way to go, kid! _she mentally chided herself. _You just about told someone about the betrayal within the team—that you promised Kal-El to keep quiet about—and almost brought up your psychic abilities!_

Marina noticed her new teammate's irritation. "Although what?" she asked concernedly.

Coba hesitated, then let out a troubled sigh. "Although I sense it'll happen again soon," she answered in a quiet voice. _Well, at least I didn't let Kal down._

The heroine smiled as if she understood, but Batgirl knew she did not believe her. Instead of trying to prove she was telling the truth, she politely dismissed herself. Marina walked down the hall towards the tank. Coba re-entered the computer room where Terry was now talking with Bruce over his com link and listened to their conversation. "I can't do this," Terry said in an overwhelmed tone. "It's just too weird."

"What is?" Bruce's voice inquired.

"These guys have saved the world more times than we can count," Coba answered.

"How can one of them be a traitor?" McGinnis wondered aloud.

"Keep digging, you two," Bruce pressed. "The answer's there somewhere."

"Aquagirl!"

The sound of Coba's urgent voice brought Terry out of his own conflicted world. He looked at the screen that had been showing Aquagirl swimming, only to see that it was black. Batman quickly tried to get the screen to work again, but it still would not come back on. "Try the intercom!" Coba suggested urgently.

Terry pushed a button several times for the intercom to come on, but to no avail. "That's not working, either," he told his half-sister tensely. "Now what?"

Brooklyn wasted no time in coming up with a logical response. "Go get Barda and Warhawk," she said as she went to exit the room. "I'll see what I can do with the tank's computer."

"I doubt they'll listen to me!" Terry called as Coba rounded the corner.

"Then figure out how to get their attention!" Batgirl called back. Without waiting for her brother to try to protest, she dashed faster down the hall.

McGinnis ran the opposite direction. _I sure hope she hasn't lost her mind, sending me to try to tell these bull-heads about Aquagirl's problem_, he thought grimly. _Then again, they wouldn't listen to her either, and she's better at problem-solving than I am._

Coba was in the tank room in just six seconds, a record considering her crippled right leg. She tried to open the tank door using the room's computer, but to no avail. Coba saw Marina swim into view and stare urgently through the glass at her, giving her an idea. The young Bat pulled out a few small, rectangular explosives from her utility belt. None too gently, she flung the devices at the upper cement part of the tank.

Water poured out of the tank as the glass broke, immediately filling up the small area outside of it and swallowing Coba in the process. Less than ten seconds later, Batgirl thrust her head to the surface and flew out of the liquid, holding on to Aquagirl as she did so. She landed gently on the upper level of the room, which was connected to the hallway. "Can you stand?" she asked the woman.

Marina nodded. "Yes."

Batgirl carefully allowed Marina to stand. The heroine smiled at her rescuer. "Thanks."

"No prob," Coba responded, returning the smile.

Aquagirl became grim. "How did you know I was in trouble?" she asked in a tone that was almost accusatory.

"The tank's cameras shut off," Coba answered honestly. "I knew that it didn't normally happen."

"Isn't this your first time being here?" Aquagirl asked suspiciously.

"Yeah."

"Then how did you know?"

Coba was about to answer when Batman, Warhawk and Barda darted into the room. Barda looked at the small girl accusingly. "What did you do to her?" she demanded to know.

Once again, Batgirl was put off by Wonder Woman's behavior. "I saved her life is what I did," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. She cleared her throat as she calmed herself down. "_And_ I used my time wisely in the process."

"What makes you say that?" Warhawk inquired ill-temperedly.

"Well, during the little time it took for me to break the tank and get her out before she could have drowned, you and Barda were arguing with Batman."

Both easily-angered heroes stared at Coba in disbelief. "How did you know that we did?" Barda inquired.

"I'm a bit psychic," Coba answered. She looked at Marina. "Which is also the answer to your question from just a moment ago."

Marina's mouth gaped open, as did the rest of her teammates'. "I thought you were just joking earlier about sensing something else happening!"

Brooklyn shrugged harmlessly. "I wasn't joking," she stated, "although I didn't know it would be within minutes of me saying it to you. I thought it would be within a few hours."

Warhawk rolled his eyes. "Great!" he mumbled. "First Micron's out of action, then Aquagirl nearly drowned, and now the sidekick is really a psychic who can hardly tell what'll happen in five minutes!"

Terry shot a glare at the hero. "Hey, watch what you say about my sister!" he snapped. "In case you haven't noticed, _she's_ the one who just saved Aquagirl."

"Which is not a sidekick's job," Warhawk shot back: "it should've been _yours_!"

Barda glowered at Batman. "How could Superman bring in a brainless punk like you and a psycho brat like her?"

"The word's _psychic_, not _psycho_," Coba stated coolly. "Besides, I don't like this situation any more than you do. Strange stuff is happening, and I think—"

"I don't care what _you_ think of it," Barda interrupted coldly. "I only care what _I_ think of it, and I think we can manage this on our own." She turned and stormed away like she had earlier that day, clenching her fists as she did.

Batman noticed Batgirl's crestfallen face before he looked at Warhawk questioningly, his eyes full of hate. "Is this how it always is here?" he asked spitefully. "Someone new tries to help you and you shove it back in their face with no remorse? I can't believe I ever looked up to you guys! Even the first Batman showed more respect to others."

The large hero seemed extremely angered at Batman's words at first, but then sighed regretfully. "You're right," he said apologetically, "and I apologize to both of you." He looked at the fourteen year old genius curiously. "You were about to say something before Barda cut you off, weren't you? Something about—"

"—what's been going on?" Coba slapped herself on the forehead irritably. "Sorry, I've gotta stop finishing other people's sentences. Yeah, I was about to say something about it."

"What was it, do you remember?" Warhawk pressed.

"I was going to say that I think—or more accurately_ feel—_that you'll need us, and soon," Coba replied. "I don't yet know _how_ we'll help you, though."

Warhawk became serious once more. "Well, you'd better find out quick," he said sourly. "Not all of us have time for this, you know!"

"I _do_ know that, actually," Brooklyn said in a dead serious tone that was neither angry nor sad. "I'll get it all figured out as fast as I can. You've got my word on that."

The hero let the girl's words sink in, then nodded and turned to walk away, flashing a small grin at her as he did so. "Alright, kid," he said gently. "I'll take your word for it."

Marina and Batman stood wide-eyed in shock. "How did you do that, Batgirl?" Marina asked.

"Do what?" Coba, although abnormally smart and insightful, asked in confusion.

"Get Warhawk to soften up to you," the heroine replied. "How did you do that?"

Coba shrugged. "I was sincere when I spoke. Am I not supposed to be?"

Aquagirl's eyes lit up. "Actually, this team needs to learn to be more sincere with each other," she replied. "I think we just found a way for you to help us."

"To teach honesty?" Terry asked in surprise.

"What?" Marina asked sharply. "Do you think she's not capable of it?"

Terry quickly shook his head. "No no, it's not that at all," he said defensively. "I just never thought you guys would have to be taught that."

"Believe me: you'd be surprised at what all we need to learn—and remember." Aquagirl turned to Batgirl and smiled. "Thanks again..._ teammate_." She smiled at Batman and waved to him and Coba before she walked out of the tank room, leaving the two Bats dumbstruck by her sudden liking towards them.

"Is that all we need to do with the others to get them to like us?" Terry asked after a shocked moment of silence. "Save their lives, I mean."

"I guess so," Coba answered with a shrug.


	4. Chapter 3: Suspicions Grow

**Author's Notes:**

**Hi guys! Sorry I didn't update on this story sooner, I had writer's block with this chapter and the whole story itself. I managed to get it figured out, though, with what I wanted to cover in this chapter and what I want to cover in the story's future (which will be revealed later). Without any further ado, here's the official Chapter 3 of the story...**

* * *

Terry had gone back to the main computer room to continue researching the team members after Aquagirl left him and his sister in the tank room, but Coba remained to keep an eye on the draining water's progress. _This has been a fairly exciting day_, she thought with a grimly. The gentle sound of a person walking silently—_almost_ silently, that is—into the room greeted her abnormally sensitive eardrums. "I'm guessing you heard about what happened earlier, Superman?" she inquired the newcomer.

Superman was caught off guard by the girl's knowledge that it was him coming in, but hid his surprise before he sat a few feet away from her on the edge of the room's upper level. "Yeah, that's right," he said solemnly. "Why didn't you—"

"—let Terry figure it out on his own?" Coba slapped herself in the forehead for the umpteenth time that day. "Sorry."

"That's okay," the old hero reassured her.

Coba grinned a little before she started to talk again. "To answer your question, I knew he wouldn't have figured it out by himself before it was too late for Aquagirl. I let him think on his own—more and more each day, in fact, so he can do everything without my help—but I still have to take over when it comes to these situations."

"And he takes over when it comes to fighting, correct?"

"Exactly. I'm getting better at fighting on my own, though."

"That's good." Kal-El became grim, but in a way that was not intimidating. "There are some questions I asked earlier that you haven't yet answered," he said gently. "Are you ready to answer them?"

The girl became grim as well, remembering the hero's earlier questions. "Yeah," she replied solemnly. "I actually _did_ train in the field with Terry during the first few weeks we had become Batman and Batgirl, but I stopped after an incident in which Inque got into the Batcave. I had to put the cowl back on six months later to save Terry from Inque, but I was captured instead of him and nearly killed in the process, resulting in a broken foot. I officially returned as Batgirl two months after that.

"To answer your other question: after my father—also Terry's father—was killed, the only other living person in Gotham who was related to me was Bruce Wayne. How I'm related to him, I don't know. But after Dad died, Terry had to live with his mother, who had hated me for being the result of an affair and for having a crippled leg. We started to get along better after she had to watch me a few times while my foot healed, but I don't see her truly accepting me any time soon."

Superman became very sympathetic towards Brooklyn. "I'm sorry that happened, Miss Coba," he said solemnly.

Coba became suspicious of the Man of Steel when he called her 'Miss', knowing from what Bruce had told her that he never calls a fellow vigilante by their social status, but she masterfully hid her suspiscion. "Don't be," she said gravely. "You had nothing to do with it." She turned her attention to the water's progress, then stood up. "Terry," she said into her com-link, "the water's drained. I'll meet you down there." She turned to Superman. "You might want to see this, too."

Kent nodded as he stood up. "I do, actually."

It had taken a full thirty minutes after Coba rescued Marina for the water to be completely drained out of the tank room. Batgirl and Superman walked down to the tank's computer and waited until Batman came in. Terry was a bit surprised to see the old hero in the room, but reminded himself that Superman was pretty much the leader of the League. The boy turned to Coba. "You going to run the diagnostic check?" he inquired a bit irratically.

"Last I checked, it's _your_ turn to do that," Brooklyn shot back, a playful grin on her face.

Terry rolled his eyes. "Alright, you win," he sighed in defeat. He typed in a few keys on the keyboard. After a few seconds of waiting, a key flashed red twice, each time with a small beep. Exchanging glances with Coba, Terry looked under the keyboard briefly before pulling something out. "There's the problem," he muttered. He held it up for his companions to see. "This micro-controller's burned out," he announced urgently. "It's circuits are infused."

Batgirl gently took it from her half-brother and was about to study it herself when Superman took it from her. Ignoring the girl's confused look, the Man of Steel briefly studied the micro-controller. His eyes narrowed angrily. "Sabotage," he growled. Without warning, his powerful right hand smashed the small device. "This confirms it: there's a traitor among us."

McGinnis's eyes widened with shock. He could not believe that one of his idols would betray their own team mates. Coba, however, was not surprised—

—nor did she believe Kent's words were true.

~!~

Thirty minutes later, the two teenagers were in the Batmobile, flying around the JLU tower. "They've got us out on flyby patrol," Terry stated into his com-link. "I think they just wanted us out of their clubhouse, not that I mind getting away from the place, nobody wants us there, especially me."

"Nobody?" Wayne's gruff voice responded a bit suspiciously.

Terry thought for a brief second. "Well, maybe Aquagirl." He grinned grimly. "But we had to save her life to win her over." He noticed a slight Batglare come from Coba. "Alright, Coba did the life-saving."

"That's one way to make friends," Bruce said with a smirk. "Did you figure out what's happening over there?"

"Well, there's definitely something strange going on," Coba told Batman once they were in the Batmobile.

"Yeah, a traitor," Terry stated matter-of-factually.

"No, that's not what it is at all," Coba stated solemnly.

"Then, what is it?" Bruce inquired, keeping his voice calm to keep from getting the sensitive girl to lose her composure.

Batgirl shrugged gravely. "I don't know for sure, but I feel Superman has something to do with it."

The new Batman, still not quite as mindful of his sibling's feelings, completely lost his nerve. "Don't you have any idea how absurd that is?!" he snapped. "Superman's the one who brought us here!"

"I know," Coba said grimly, "but he seemed too certain about it from the start. Not only that, he called me by my social status when I was talking to him earlier."

"Which he never does unless in public," Bruce's voice added.

"He even took the micro-controller from my hands before I could get a good look at it," Coba continued. "He knows I would've told him what all I noticed about it, yet I can't help but feel he's trying to cover something up."

"Superman can _not_ be the traitor!" Terry yelled.

"I didn't say he was," Coba said as calmly as she could, although her blood was starting to boil at her brother's increasing hostility. "I was saying that he likely has to do with something that's about to get bigger."

Terry scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean, _genius_?"

"Like I told you before, I'm not sure!" Coba exploded.

"You get these feelings and you don't understand what they're saying? What kind of psychic are you, anyway?"

Brooklyn could tell Bruce was about to reprimand them—primarily Terry—for arguing when the screen in the Batmobile lit up and beeped several times. "Hold on," Terry said urgently. "Something's coming in on the JLU frequency." He and Batgirl watched the screen point out where the alarm came from: Metropolis. Without another moment to waste, McGinnis steered the vehicle towards the city.

While Batman was piloting the hover car, Coba sat in the back seat, lost in her own thoughts. _Terry's right: I'm somewhat psychic, yet I don't understand what my feelings or visions say. Does this mean I'm a bad psychic? That I'm not meant to be hero?_ She stopped her thoughts in their tracks before she would have given in to tears of confusion. _No, it doesn't mean any of that. I'm not completely psychic, but that doesn't make me a bad one. I use my abilities for good, and, according to society, that means I'm something of a hero. _She blinked in surprise. _Wow, I just gave myself a pep talk that I should have written down for future reference!_

Unbeknownst to both Bats and their mentor, someone had been overhearing their conversation by using the JLU frequency.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Yep, more tension between Terry and Coba. Can't they get along and stay that way for at least three stories? Yeah, if I wanted them to.**

**The character poll I made during the previous story, _Batgirl of the Future: Eyewitness of the Past_, is still up on my profile page if you would like to vote for your fave character(s) from the _BOTF_ saga (yeah, it's not based on one particular story-line in the saga).**

**Please leave a review in the box below so I can get and stay motivated to write this: for me, it usually takes more than self-motivation to get something done. See ya next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 4: The Deceiver Revealed

All of the Justice League members were at the horrifying scene in Metropolis by the time Batman and Batgirl arrived. "Wow," Coba stated with a small grin. "We really need a faster Batmobile!"

Terry, for the first time since his argument with Coba a short while before, could not help but smile at the comment. "No kidding," he chuckled.

"Sorry, this is the only Batmobile available," Bruce's static-y voice said gruffly, not at all in an apologetic manner.

Explosions sounded from all over the city, calling the Bats back to attention. As the Batmobile flew by the burning buildings, Terry and Coba gasped at the horrific scene. "Jeez," Terry breathed.

"This sounds selfish," Coba said grimly, "but I'm glad this isn't Gotham right now."

McGinnis could not help but agree. "No kidding: Dana, Herbst- -I mean Ditto- -and Grayson would have their hands full trying to clean it up."

Superman flew towards the Batmobile, catching the siblings' attention. "Up there on the roof," he said urgently. "Stick with Warhawk, he needs your help." Without waiting for a response, the old hero flew away.

Batman steered the vehicle to a burning building with the text IMPERIAL written on the top of it. "Yeah, right, Warhawk," he muttered. "Our good buddy."

Warhawk broke through the building's rooftop door, allowing the many people who were in it to flee. Aircraft carriers met them on the roof. Men got out and helped the people to the vehicles before taking off again, some just narrowly missing the large explosion that came from the building. Warhawk had handed a baby to its relieved mother when a carrier's engine was caught in the blast, causing it to fall to the ground. The tough vigilante flew towards it and held up the damaged engine, allowing the carrier to land safely on a rooftop below.

"Building's empty," Barda's voice crackled through Stewart's com-link. "How's it going?"

"There's still two more on the roof," Warhawk replied urgently.

"We got 'em."

The voice belonged to Batman, who was, along with Batgirl, gliding two people to the other rooftop Warhawk had the hover craft land on. "Finally, you made yourselves useful," the metallic hero said gruffly.

"Made myself useful earlier, remember?" Coba pointed out with a smirk as the woman she saved hugged her.

Warhawk looked at Coba, grinned a little, then looked back up at the sky. "I'm gonna follow that signal," he announced.

Terry looked at him quizzically, suddenly distracted from the man he rescued shaking his hand. "What signal?"

"An emergency signal," Warhawk said rather erratically. "Didn't you hear it?"

"I heard it," Coba volunteered. "It was on the JLU frequency."

"I had it on, but I didn't hear it," Terry confessed. "I'll go with you, though."

"You two stay here," Rex snapped. "I don't need amateurs tagging along." He flew away before any of the teens could argue.

Something seemed to hit Coba like a blow to the stomach. "Something's not right," she murmured to Terry. "I'm going after him." She drew out her gliders and allowed her rocket launchers to push her up off the roof. "Warhawk, hold up!" she called urgently.

Batman knew something was wrong, especially by the tone of his sister's voice. He pushed a button on his utility belt, causing the Batmobile to fly his direction. He jumped in as it went by. Warhawk and Coba flew past him just then. Terry stopped the vehicle and turned it to chase after them.

"What's your problem, psychic sidekick?" Warhawk growled at Batgirl.

For the second time that day, Coba shot the large hero a fierce Batglare. "Something's wrong, Warhawk," she said urgently. "You and I both heard the signal, but Batman didn't hear it." Something caught her eye, causing her eyes to grow wide with terror. "Oh no," she gasped.

Warhawk saw what had just disturbed Brooklyn. A missile was flying directly towards the city! He looked back at Coba as they flew after it. "I'll take care of it," he stated. "Head for cover!"

Coba, despite her initial shock at the sight of the item of war, shook her head stubbornly. "And leave you behind when it's likely you'll die? Not a chance. Besides," she added seriously, "I've got a better idea..."

Terry could only watch anxiously from the Batmobile as the two vigilantes flew after the missile. _Oh please let them get this thing without trouble,_ he begged in his mind.

Rex Stewart's armor tracted out to completely cover his powerful body while Batgirl adjusted her suit's settings to better keep out some of the high levels of radiation that may have been emanating from the missile. Both of the heroes flew directly in front of the missile before shoving with all of their might at the weapon's upper part. Just as when it seemed that all hope was lost, they flipped the missile towards the sky.

Batman could not help but smile in relief. "Nice save," he commented.

Perched on the missile, Warhawk gave Batman a thumbs up. A pit formed in McGinnis's stomach. _Where's Coba?_

The missile suddenly exploded, sending Warhawk's helmet crashing into the Batmobile's windshield. The blast sent the vehicle spiraling to the ground. Terry could just barely control it enough to not land upside down on the cement road below. Once the explosion of shrapnel was over, he jumped out of the Batmobile and picked up Warhawk's severed helmet. Aquagirl ran towards the scene in a hurry. Batman allowed her to take the mask from him to look at it herself. "Warhawk!" Marina gasped sadly, falling to her knees in grief.

Big Barda and Kai-Ro landed on either side of Terry. "What did you do?" Barda asked accusingly.

Batman took a step back from the large woman. "He and Batgirl got a call for help on the JLU frequency," he answered anxiously. "We were following it when- -"

"Who sent it?" Kai-Ro inquired once he was knelt down to comfort the grief-stricken Aquagirl. "I didn't get any signal." He looked at Aquagirl. "Did you?"

Aquagirl did not answer, but it was clear in her eyes that she had not received a signal.

Realization struck Terry like a hammer to a nail. "Only Warhawk and Batgirl heard it," he said gravely.

Barda glowered at the teen. "We only have your word for that," she growled, "don't we?"

Superman hovered down towards them. "Back off, Barda," he ordered. "Accusations won't get us anywhere." He glanced around at each of the remaining team members. "When we find out who set the bombs, we'll find out who killed Warhawk." He looked down at Terry, more solemn than ever. "I'm sorry, Batman, but I found your sister lying in a pool of blood with no signs of life. I'm afraid she's gone."

Those words hit McGinnis like a punch below the stomach. "No..." he breathed sadly. _It can't be true!_ He looked back up at Superman. "Where is she?" he inquired.

"Right next to the 'Imperial' building," Kal-El replied.

Without saying a word, Batman flew up into the air and glided at top speed towards the building the old hero mentioned. He watched the passing sidewalk until he came to a stop in front of the damaged building at the sight of a large puddle of blood. He landed next to it and placed a finger in it. Terry examined the blood closely as the rest of the League stopped behind him. He noticed a trail of blood leading down a beaten alleyway. "She's still alive!" he announced.

"Not for much longer, I'm afraid," Superman said gravely. "She's lost a lot of blood."

"It's mostly fake blood," Batman explained. "Only ten percent of it is hers. She installed a mechanism in her suit that allows her to spill out the fake stuff and momentarily stop her pulse to make her seem dead until her supposed killer has left. It's a tactic we've learned from the original Batman."

"Very clever," Kai-Ro commented with a grin. "I like it."

Superman still remained serious. "It's not safe for her to be out there alone," he said urgently. "I'm going to look for her."

"I'll look, too," Marina announced.

Barda scowled. "Why waste time looking for a lying runt like her?"

To everyone's surprise, Aquagirl glared at her teammate. "Hey, that 'lying runt' saved my life when you stood doubting Batman's warnings about my predicament," she snapped. "If you're not going to look for her, shut your mouth about it!"

Wonder Woman fumed, but she did not say a word.

"I'll look, too," Kai-Ro volunteered. "I have no reason to dislike her, and I believe Superman was right to let her and Batman join." He glanced at Superman sternly. "Although we would have appreciated being contacted about it first."

Clark nodded before looking at Batman. "We'll find her," he told the teen. "You head back to the cave and figure out what's been going on."

Terry shook his head. "I can't leave without her," he said stubbornly.

"Yes, you can," Superman countered, softening his gaze. "She'll be alright: we'll make sure of it."

Although he was not feeling very comforted by the old hero's words, Batman gave in. "Okay, but let me know when you find her."

~!~

Back at the Batcave, Bruce was repeatedly looking over the video clips from the Batmobile's hidden camera. "What do you expect to find?" Terry inquired.

"If I knew I wouldn't have to look for it," Bruce gruffly replied.

Another repeat of the explosion that supposedly consumed Warhawk occurred. "He never had a chance," Terry said sadly. "It must've had a timer or somethin'."

Bruce took in the boy's words before sitting up and typing vigorously at the keyboard. "Maybe. Freeze-frame," he commanded the computer as the explosion hit its maximum force. "Reverse." The clip played backward. "Frame speed: 1 per second." The clip played very slowly. "Freeze." Clip stopped. "Spectral filters." The clip turned a brilliant bright green, then bright red, then bluish-gray. "Stop." Clip stopped once more.

Both Batmen were appalled by what they saw: a red laser touching the missile. "Look at that," Bruce said in surprise, pointing at the screen. "It was detonated from a remote position by some kind of ray."

"But who?" Terry pondered aloud.

"Shift view sixty-degrees left," Wayne commanded the computer. The clip seemed to zoom out, then stop at a building. "Close in." A rectangular box focused aroundthe building's rooftop.

Terry's eyes grew wide. "Superman!" he breathed. He was silent for a moment, fighting back tears of confusion. "Superman's the traitor."

"Or as Coba had predicted, an instrument in something big," Bruce stated. He became even more concerned. "Didn't you say Superman and the others went looking for her?"

"Yes. Why- -oh no," McGinnis gasped in despair. _How could I have left my own sister out there after she said Kal-El's up to something, let alone when one of the League members could've been the traitor?! Some Batman _I_ make._ His eyes shifted into a glare as he turned around and pulled his mask over his face.

"Where are you going?" Bruce asked concernedly.

"I have to go back," the young Batman replied, his voice dripping with disdain. "I have to warn them, and find Coba before Superman does."

Bruce nodded sagely. "You have to do more than that," he said gruffly. He pulled a lever, causing the cases holding the different Batsuits to split apart. Bruce stood up from the computer chair and walked into the opened chamber. A machine came up from the floor. The old man approached it and placed a hand on each green screen before a scanner scanned him from bottom to top. There was a beep, and the scanner fell back into the floor. A claw-like device handed a small case to Bruce. "This isn't the first time Superman's gone rogue," he said, turning away from the machine and walking to Terry, "so I made sure I'd be ready if it ever happened again. I always hoped I'd never have to use it."

Terry looked at the small box as Wayne opened it, shocked when the contents let out a light of lime green. "Kryptonite," he said in surprise. He pulled out the small green shard with a small device from his belt. "This could kill him, right?" he asked uncomfortably.

The old Dark Knight seemed to glare. "Do whatever it takes," he said gruffly. "But make sure you stop him."

McGinnis knew better than to argue with Bruce at a time like this. He had the whole world instead of Gotham on his shoulders, and he knew Coba could not fend for herself against the Man of Steel for very long. _I let Coba down earlier when I didn't listen to her_, he thought grimly. _I can't let her down again._

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Yes, Coba's still alive, but will she be saved in time? Will she somehow get out of her mess by herself? Or will she be killed by Superman? Okay, I have to be honest: her being killed is likely to not happen, otherwise the story would no longer be_ Batgirl of the Future_. This chapter really shows Terry learning the hard way about not listening to his sister's warnings. Will he trust her instincts after this? Maybe, even _I'm_ not sure. Please leave a review in the box below (it doesn't matter if you're a member of FanFiction or a guest).**


	6. Chapter 5: Fight Against Steel

**Author's Notes:**

**Here's Chapter 5 at last! Woot woot! Before it goes on to the chapter itself, I'd like to acknowledge a couple of people.**

**T2Angel: Thanks a ton for your continued support throughout these_ BOTF_ stories. Your reviews definitely inspire me to keep writing and posting more chapters for them!**

**Sailor Sacred Moon: A big thanks to you for following these stories as well, and asking me to continue. Being asked to continue writing a story tells me that I'm on the right track.**

**Please read and review (and enjoy if you can)...**

* * *

Warhawk ran through the streets of Metropolis as Batgirl limped as fast as she could after him, despite the deep wound on her lower left leg that was quickly becoming infected from the dangerous smoke lingering in the air. Coba knew that the quickest way for her and Warhawk to get back to the JLU Tower undetected would be to run. After over an hour of agonizing running and breathing in the contaminated air, the girl collapsed a few blocks away from the JLU Tower, coughing violently.

Seeing his companion's predicament, Warhawk knelt down next to her. "Come on, kid," he said as calmly as he could, although he was mentally swearing at her for being weak. "We're almost there. Don't give up now."

Coba looked up at him feverishly, coughing up blood as she did so. Stewart cursed at himself for being harsh on her the whole day, especially during the past hour, fearing that this day may have very well been her last. "Wasn't... going to," Coba said hoarsely in a halting voice. She winced as she managed to stand herself back up. She tightly closed her eyes and bit her lower lip to get her mind off of her pain before carefully taking a step forward to make sure she did not fall to the ground as a result of her wobbly legs. _If only the quickest and least detectable way back to the Tower didn't involve running through smoke!_ she thought irritably, spitting out some blood as she staggered quickly forward.

Stewart stood up and quickly caught up to Coba, surprised at her large amount of strength and will. _I've seen even the most powerful of warriors fall down and not get back up voluntarily_, he thought in shock. He managed to bring himself out of his thoughts. "Hold up!" he barked.

Brooklyn rubbed an ear but kept walking. "No need to yell," she gasped: "we're right next to each other."

"Just stop a moment!" Warhawk said seriously. He waited until Coba stopped and looked up at him before he continued. "You're smarter than this!" he scolded. "You'll get yourself killed if you keep moving quickly in your condition."

"We'll _both_ be killed if we don't," Coba countered raspily. "Superman will pick up our trail any second now!"

"He doesn't have the heart to kill us!" Warhawk said irritably.

"I know!" the girl snapped. "But whoever's controlling him _does_!"

The large warrior was about to inquire what Coba was talking about when a red laser-beam hit a spot on the concrete that was between the two vigilantes, sending them flying in opposite directions. Superman landed directly in front of Coba's landing spot and gripped the small warrior in a dangerous choke-hold. As if it was second nature to her, Coba instincively tracted out her claws from her right glove and swiped it across her captor's chest. The Man of Steel released her and let out an agonized scream—

—combined with a shrill shriek that was not his own!

Batgirl hit the ground and found herself unable to move as a result of her surprise at the shriek instead of the pain from her fall, her aching legs and her damaged lungs. Even Warhawk was shocked by the strange sound, but he was the first to come back to his senses. He dashed to where Coba lay and lifted her to her feet. "Come on, kid, focus!" he said urgently. "What do you suggest we do?"

The young girl came to attention as Superman stopped screaming, glaring at her as he did so. "Split up," she answered. "You rally up the rest of the team and head for the Tower. I'll distract him."

"Are you crazy!" Rex exclaimed. "You'll be killed!"

"We'll _all _be killed if we don't do this!" Coba pointed out harshly. "Get going!"

Although he did not get along with Batgirl—and she was telling him what to do—Warhawk could not help but feel a sense of admiration for her. "Alright," he said solemnly. "Good luck."

"Good luck to you, too," Coba said quietly. Both heroes spread their wings and gliders and launched into the air as Superman's lasers struck at where they had been standing.

Knowing Batgirl and Warhawk's plan, Superman flew after them. Once he was directly behind them, Coba nodded to Warhawk before they went in opposite directions. Instead of going after the girl like they had expected, Superman went after Warhawk. Brooklyn back flipped in the air and chased after them at full speed. The oldest member of the League had almost caught up with Stewart when Coba suddenly attacked him from behind, causing him to fall towards the ground.

Although he knew what was going on, Warhawk did not dare to stop or turn around. Batgirl was depending on him to lead the rest of the team away from the fight, and that was a plan he was going to stick to. _That kid's got more guts than I do_, he thought. _I can't let her down._

Superman managed to straighten out his flying form before he flung Coba off of himself. Changing course, he flew after Warhawk once more. Coba managed to catch herself with her gliders and chase after him again, but she knew she would not be able to catch up to him as quickly as she had before due to her worsening condition. Superman could see his pursuer's slowing pace and grinned evilly. "Give it up, runt!" he mocked. "You'll get yourself killed before you can get to me!" Without further ado, Superman went as fast as a speeding bullet—not his fastest pace, but it was still an unreachable speed for Coba's suit's technology.

"We'll just see about that," Coba murmured under her breath. She switched on a tracking screen in her mask's visor. _Let's hope Warhawk doesn't know that I had placed a tracer on him when I first got Superman off his tail_, Coba thought. _Well, at least not until later. I don't want him to take it off._ She noticed the tracer she had placed on the metal-clad hero come to a stop and then make slight movements. Knowing that Warhawk had just found the rest of the team, Batgirl changed her flight direction and flew towards the tracer's signal.

~!~

Warhawk only had to search in the few precious moments Coba had bought for him until he found Aquagirl and Lantern. Letting out a sigh of relief, he landed in the area between his friends. "Aquagirl!" he called out.

At the sound of her heroine name, Marina turned to face the speaker, surprised to see Stewart standing alive and well in front of her. "Warhawk!" she gasped, running towards him and flinging her arms around him in relief.

Kai-Ro had also turned to see the tough hero. "We thought you were dead!" he stated. "How did you survive that blast?"

"Never mind that," Warhawk said urgently, pulling Aquagirl away from him as gently as he could given the circumstances. "Superman's gone rogue. We've got to get back to the Tower before- -"

An all-too familiar pair of lasers struck the concrete next to the heroes. Warhawk quickly grabbed Aquagirl and Kai-Ro before jumping out of the deadly rays' path. Superman loomed above the trio, glaring dangerously at them. "You will all pay for your treachery," he growled.

The young Green Lantern looked up at Kal-El curiously. "What treachery?" he asked. "I don't recall either of us committing such an act."

"He's bluffing," Warhawk said impatiently. "Don't listen to him."

A small, black figure slammed into Superman, sending him into something of a stumble in the air. "Get out of here, now!" the newcomer shouted to the three oppressed heroes in a hoarse voice.

Superman gripped Coba in a headlock and ripped her suit's gliders off of her back. He was preparing to slam the girl to the cement far below when she switched on her suit's electrical feature, causing him to scream in agony and let go of her as he fell to the ground. Batgirl knew he would survive the fall, but she also knew that she would be killed by it. She managed to throw herself at the nearest building and grab hold of the nearest building's rooftop. Her arm muscles burned as she pulled herself herself onto the roof, using her legs to push herself up, wincing as her left leg's now infected wound brushed against the side of the building. Once she was on the roof, she rolled over so she was on her stomach. She used her sore arms to push herself up so she was sitting up, but quickly realized that she had no more energy to do anything else. Coughing up another mouthful of blood, the small warrior could only sit and wait for her opponent to recover and finish her off. She knew that she would not, however, allow his task to be that easy.

Warhawk turned to Marina and Lantern. "Head back to the Tower," he instructed. "Be careful not to attract Kal-El's attention."

Although Kai-Ro quickly did as he was bid (having sensed the seriousness of the situation in Warhawk's voice), Marina could not help but look at her large friend concernedly. "But what about you?" she inquired.

"I'm staying to help Batgirl," Stewart replied. "Go!"

Aquagirl nodded and ran after the young Green Lantern, silently hoping that all would turn out well for her companions in the end.

Rex turned his attention to the battle above him, disturbed to see Superman get up from his landing spot. _Hang on, kid_, he thought urgently. _I'm on my way._ He expanded his metal wings and launched himself up into the air and towards the fast-approaching fight.

Superman stood up painfully, his eyes filled with rage. "That's it, runt!" he shouted. "You've gotten in my way for the last time!" He soared into the smoke-filled air once more. His eyes scanned the tops of the buildings, but there was no sign of Batgirl. Knowing that she must have turned on her suit's camouflage, Superman used his laser eyes to strike every rooftop.

The Man of Steel's ruthless efforts were rewarded by the sound of a pained scream. One of his lasers had struck a part of the cement roof just a foot away from where Coba had been hiding, disrupting the suit's camouflage and breaking a couple layers of skin in her left arm as it launched her ten feet across the roof. Superman landed in front of Brooklyn and grabbed her by the front collar of her suit, pulling her up as he did. He yanked off her mask and flung it to the roof. Coba drew out a batarang from each wrist and swiped them at Superman's chest, but the powerful man tightly gripped her injured arm with his other hand until she screamed and dropped her weapons. "You just don't know when to give up, do you?" he taunted.

Coba glared at him defiantly and spat blood at his face. "Look who's talking!" her voice hissed.

Before Clark could respond, Batgirl slashed a claw across his arm. Superman yelled in agony as he released Coba, allowing her to fall to the roof. His eyes narrowed with anger once more and forcefully kicked the girl in the chest twice. Although she was now terribly weakened from her opponent's attacks, Coba turned on her suit's electrical field and gripped Superman's leg as it came at her again. Kent let out another scream of agony and tried to kick Coba until she let go of his leg, but the stubborn girl clung on as tightly as she could, fighting off the blackout from her intense pain that was trying to overwhelm her senses. Superman finally fainted from the shocks, falling to the roof with a thud.

After spitting out the blood that had been held in her mouth during her struggle, Batgirl tore open the Man of Steel's shirt to see a starfish-like creature on his chest. Being careful not to scratch the hero, she pulled the creature off of his chest. She weakly pulled out a bag from her utility belt and placed the creature inside before closing the container. With the problem out of the way, she feebly crawled to where her mask had landed and pulled it back on as a familiar, metal-clad figure landed next to her. "What... kept you?" she gasped.

"More of a _who_," Warhawk replied with a small grin, gesturing to the edge of the building.

Batgirl managed a weak grin at the sight of the Batmobile. The red windshield opened up, allowing Batman to jump out of it and onto the roof. He knelt down next to his wounded half-sister in concern. "What happened?" he inquired.

"A fight," Coba said weakly. "I had to... knock him out."

At that moment, Superman woke up with a pained groan. He stood up solemnly after a few seconds. "What happened?" he inquired.

"You mean you _don't remember_?" Stewart spat with rage. "You've been trying to kill all of the members of the League and you _don't remember_?!"

Coba weakly held up a hand to silence her teammate. "It wasn't... his fault. A starfish-like thing... was on his chest... controlling him. It's... in that bag." She pointed to the bag that still lay on the roof. "Be careful when... you go near it," she warned.

Warhawk heeded Brooklyn's warning as he lifted the bag, but left it shut. He looked at Superman quizzically. "Know anything about a starfish thing?" he interrogated.

Recognition flashed in the old hero's eyes. "Yes," he answered. "I remember now."

"Let's discuss it later," Batman said abruptly. "We need to get back to the tower and get Batgirl treated. The others would like to know what's been going on, too."

Superman nodded gravely. "They would. I have a lot to answer for." He looked directly at Coba. "And, Batgirl?"

"Yes, sir?" the girl rasped.

Clark grinned. "Thank you... for stopping me."

Terry grinned roguishly. "You forgot to point out that she didn't use Kryptonite."

All four had to laugh a little at Batman's joke. "That," Superman said with a chuckle, "that is very true."

* * *

**Oh my gosh, a _starfish_ caused all that trouble? I didn't see THAT one coming! Oh wait, yes I did :P. Okay, not when I first watched the episodes themselves, but still. Character poll is still up on my profile page, though I now recommend waiting at least until after the end of this story, for I added in the JLU members to the list. Please leave a review in the box below.**


	7. Chapter 6: Secrets Revealed

**Author's Notes:**

**I am _very_ sorry this one took so long to post. My lengthy explanation will take place at the end of the chapter. Please R&R and enjoy...**

* * *

Superman, Warhawk, Batman and Batgirl arrived at the JLU Tower three minutes after Superman and Batgirl's fight on the roof. Upon their arrival, they promptly had Coba put on a short yet long roll-around table with an oxygen mask over her face and asked Aquagirl to take care of her wounds. Following the wounded girl's previous instructions, Batman carefully dumped the starfish-like creature into a twenty-gallon tank half full of water with a large rock inside for the creature to surface at any time and covered the top with a very heavy lid that was mostly made of wire mesh to allow air to flow into the tank. The entire team gathered in the same room they had been in earlier when Superman announced the arrival of the two Bats.

"How did you survive the blast?" Barda inquired Warhawk.

Warhawk's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't _in_ the armor. I was operating it by remote. That's the only reason I'm not dust right now."

"Very shrewd," Kai-Ro remarked, "not like you."

"You're right, it's not like me." The metal-clad hero grinned, softened his gaze, and gestured to Coba, who was still sitting on the table, recovering from her wounds. "It's more like this young warrior sitting right in front of us."

"This _runt_," Barda said in disbelief: "a _warrior_? I don't buy it."

"She proved that she's more of a warrior than any of us are, Barda, including _you_," Warhawk said spitefully, his eyes narrowing once more in agitation. "And don't talk about her that way. She saved all of us tonight, and was nearly killed in doing so."

Barda snorted. "Her being nearly killed was her own doing! If she's so smart, she should've known it was suicide to try to face Superman."

"She _did_ know," Warhawk spat, "but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was willing to die if it meant buying time for us to regroup." He glared icily at Barda. "I've never seen or heard of you doing that for any of us—or for any_one_, for that matter."

Although the large woman was fuming with rage, she bowed her head and closed her eyes in defeat. She knew Stewart was right.

"Tell me something," Batman said. "Not to be disrespectful to my own sister, but what made you decide to listen to her and get out of the armor?"

"The emergency call," Warhawk answered, "and Batgirl and me being the only ones who got it. With everything that had been happening around here I got suspicious, Batgirl especially. I told them both—" he getured to Terry and Coba— "not to tag along, but they disobeyed." He grinned fondly. "I like that."

All of the League members, including Barda, grinned with approval at the two Bats. Terry was too stunned by the metal-clad hero's words to respond, but Coba remained composed despite her own shock. _Oh hey, _another_ way to make friends! _she thought, stifling a smile.

Warhawk turned to Superman. "The floor's yours, Kal-El," he said quietly.

"Thank you," Superman said respectfully. He glanced at each of the members of the League. "As you all may know," he informed them, "I have not been myself lately—or for quite a few years. In my fight with Batgirl, she managed to defeat me and remove that creature—" he gestured to the tank containing the starfish-like being— "from my chest. I don't know much about what it's been doing with me, but here's what I do know about it.

"In my earlier days, I was once captured by the Preserver, who collected lifeforms from all over the galaxy. I managed to escape from my cell and fought him until the door for the ship's loading deck opened up, sucking him out into space. There were many creatures aboard the ship. After returning as many creatures as I could to their home planets, there was still a great number of them that had no where to go, including the starfish creature that I call Starro. I decided to keep them at the Fortress of Solitude. Although it's not a very free life, it's much better than the containers they had been kept in aboard the Collector's ship.

"Years later, I was in Starro's 'environment,' giving him food as I had every morning, when he suddenly jumped at me. He grabbed a hold of my head. I tried to pull him off, but my mind suddenly went blank, and I now recall feeling something slither down to my chest. He's been controlling me for about seven years. Because of how powerful I am, I suppose."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "But why would he wait until now to act out about it?" he inquired.

Superman was about to respond when Coba suddenly removed her oxygen mask and answered for him. "Starro's been using him to help reproduce more creatures of his species over those years. He's been planning to take over the world with them, and just recently his plan has become ready to act upon."

"How do you even know that?" Barda asked suspiciously.

Batgirl coolly pulled out a small device from her right glove. "Indestructible animal communicator," she explained. "I've been talking to Starro quietly in his native tongue for the past half-hour, asking him about his plans. His language turns out to not be too different from a weak person talking through an oxygen mask."

"It's true," Marina confirmed. "I over heard part of the conversation myself while I was cleaning her wounds. She had the mask on the entire time she spoke with him."

Kal looked at Coba curiously. "Where exactly in the Fortress did he say his offspring are?" he interrogated.

"In a cave he had you create with your laser vision," Coba answered. "It's at the end of the main corridor."

"Thanks." Superman turned to the rest of the League. "We move out now," he said urgently. "There's no telling when we may be too late." He noticed Brooklyn trying to stand up, but she fell back painfully. He softened his gaze considerably, feeling sympathetic for her. "Batgirl, I think it will be best if you and Batman stay here."

"You'll have to take at least one of us," Coba said quickly in an urgent tone, trying to hide her pain. "We're the only ones with an electric field built into our suits."

Barda raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"_So_, that is the main way to stop them from attacking and trying to control us," Coba explained solemnly. "You're right to try to leave me here: I'll only slow you down with my condition. But you _have_ to take Batman, otherwise..." She shuddered at the sudden feeling that overwhelmed her senses. "Otherwise your mission would be for nothing." Knowing she was done talking for a little while, she placed the oxygen mask back over her face to help catch her breath.

Superman knew Batgirl was not trying to guilt-trip him, but that she was really just stating the grim facts. However, there was something she did not catch on to. "Your health's not the only reason I want you to stay behind," he said gravely. "Earlier I had attempted to kill you and Warhawk twice, and you placed your life on the line to save him and the rest of the team. I deeply admire your courage, for it is as great as that of the first Batman, but the trouble I've put you through is more than enough. I'd hate to put your brother through the same."

"Actually," Terry piped up, "it would be best if you did." All of the League members looked at him in surprise. "I'm serious. For one thing, the way she just shuddered indicated that she had just foreseen something that can endanger your lives. For another, it'll help me and her to better understand each other if we've been through similar things." _Like losing a parent, being captured by Inque to get yourself and those you love killed..._

"Alright, it's settled then." The Man of Steel looked at each member. "Batman's coming with us," he announced. "We leave in five minutes."

"And we're leaving that creature here too, right?" Barda inquired, pointing at Starro.

"Exactly," Superman replied icily. "That thing has caused enough trouble already."

Batman raised an eyebrow. "Are we seriously going to leave Batgirl here by herself?" he asked in an agitated voice.

"Micron's here with her," Barda said matter-of-factually.

"Yeah, except he's in a coma," Terry snapped.

"I'll be fine on my own, really," Coba tried to reassure her half-brother, pulling off the oxygen mask as she did.

"I'll stay with her."

All eyes shifted to Warhawk, who had just spoken. The warrior spoke again. "I know what you all may be thinking: why would a tough guy like Warhawk want to stay and watch over a sick or injured person? Truth be told, this isn't the first time I have."

Terry looked at Coba pleadingly. "I don't want you here by yourself when you're so weak," his eyes seemed to say. Something else came out of his mouth instead. "Can he be trusted?"

Barda shot an icy glare at McGinnis. "Of course he can!" she snapped. "Why do you think he's in the League?"

Brooklyn held up her hands to stop the argument before it could truly start. "She's right, brother," she said calmly. _What do you know? The pig-head's right for once._ "Warhawk's not in the League just because of his brute strength or his metal suit."

"Do what you want, Warhawk," Superman said solemnly, a slight hint of disdain in his voice. _Why would he choose to watch over Batgirl instead of helping the League, of which he is a member of? Then again, she _did_ just stop me from killing everyone. Still, I don't think it's very noble of him to guard a_ lame*_ girl who's the result of an affair._ He turned to the rest of the team. "Let's get going!"

Barda pulled out a booming device and pressed a button. A portal opened up, revealing the entrance cave to the Fortress. Superman led the team through the portal. Batman cast a worried glance at Coba, seeing the shameful look on her face that said she had just read Kent's mind, before following after them. While the other members landed gracefully on their feet, Terry face-planted on the hard, stone floor with a pained yell. He stood back up and rubbed his head painfully. "So much for the element of surprise," he muttered, following his teammates through the large corridor.

~!~

Back in the Tower, Coba sat on the table, still shocked about what Superman had just mentally stated about her, fighting back tears of rage. Warhawk could only look at her sympathetically, lost in his own troubled thoughts as well. After not speaking for a few minutes, the large man finally broke the silence. "You didn't have to do it, you know."

Coba jumped in surprise, as if just noticing him. She summed up a tough composure as she looked at him. "I'm sorry?"

"You didn't have to do it," Warhawk repeated. "Save my life from that missile, I mean."

"I know," Coba said gently, "but I wouldn't allow myself to let you die if I could've done something, especially since we're a team, now."

Warhawk let her words sink in for a moment. "Well, thanks," he replied.

"You're welcome." Brooklyn was silent for a brief moment. "Um... Warhawk?" she said awkwardly.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Why didn't you leave me behind to die in the streets earlier, even though I was weak and had told you to do so?" Coba asked, her voice clearly expressing her confused tone.

It dawned on Stewart that Coba was troubled about something having to do with the nature her question, although he had not figured out exactly what it was. "Now that you bring it up, I'm not completely sure," he replied solemnly. "Maybe it had to do with how you had saved Marina, Kai-Ro and me, but I don't think that's it. Maybe—" He stopped himself before swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat. "Maybe it had to do with your eyes," he said quietly.

Coba looked at Warhawk curiously. "What do you mean?"

Warhawk looked at the girl gravely. "There was a level of defiance in them that I had not seen for about fourteen years, since my early days as a surgeon."

_I was just a year old then, battling neuroblastoma_, Coba thought distractedly. Realization struck her like a lightning bolt. _Wait a minute, his early days as a surgeon? I think I vaguely recall someone being a new surgeon when I was brought in._ She looked at him curiously. "You mean you saw it in the eyes of the patient back then?"

"Yeah," Warhawk replied, nodding. "Would you like to hear about it?"

Brooklyn simply nodded.

Warhawk looked into Coba's eyes solemnly so she knew he was telling the truth. "I was twenty-six, having just graduated from medical school, when I was assigned to my first patient: a little girl. I had not known anything about neuroblastoma until then, and I was terrified. A young life was in my inexperienced hands: one false action would have killed her.

"I was unsure about operating on her, but I saw by the look in her eyes as well as her mother's that neither of them were ready or willing to give up, and I knew then that I wasn't, either. I also realized that by helping them, my life would change forever. And once I had successfully operated on her, I decided to stop being a doctor."

"Why's that?" Coba could not help but ask.

Stewart looked into Brooklyn's eyes more solemnly than ever. "I lost control of my emotions after the girl had been successfully treated. Even though I managed to regain control of them, I knew that it would be too much for my psyche if I returned to the field."

Coba was able to guess the rest on her own. "And after you saved a woman in an alley who was being mugged, you turned to being a vigilante—to being Warhawk, I mean. After a few months, Superman offered you a spot in the Justice League and you took it after some consideration, although you were mostly considering the fact that your parents were in it."

"How the heck did you know that?" Warhawk asked, completely surprised.

"A mix of research, mind-reading, and guesswork," Coba answered with a small grin. Her face became grim once more. "There's something I should tell you. Or, more accurately, show you."

Warhawk looked at her suspiciously. "What might that be?"

To the vigilante's surprise, Batgirl swiftly removed the mask covering her face. He only needed to study her face for a split second before he recognized her. "_Coba Brooklyn_?!" he exclaimed.

The unmasked girl nodded sagely. "Yes," she confirmed in a quiet voice.

The metal-clad warrior could not speak for a few moments. _The girl I saved so many years ago is standing right in front of me_, he thought in shock, _and she just saved my life two—no, three—times this evening. But why is she a vigilante?_ "Why are you Batgirl?" his voice finally rasped out.

Brooklyn looked into her campanion's eyes sadly. "My parents were killed by the same man: first he killed my mother four years ago, then my father two years later. I was taken in by Bruce Wayne—the first Batman, though I can tell you already knew that—after Dad died. I studied the high-tech Batsuit and copied it, although I added in the camouflage feature into mine before Bruce himself could think of it."

"Have you been a genius your whole life?" Warhawk inquired with interest.

"I guess so, but I have always struggled with a learning disability."

The large vigilante smirked. "_That's_ hard to believe."

"I know," Coba said solemnly. "It's because of the early discovery of it, my strong will and my mother's unending support that I learned how to master it." She looked down sadly, suddenly fighting back tears. "But until the point I did, I was bullied by everyone at school, even the adults, because of it and my crippled leg." A tear defeated her efforts to conceal it and rolled down her cheek. "They'd all call me 'slow-poke' and 'dummy,' sometimes even telling me that I never should have been born. Sometimes..." She hesitated, knowing that what she would say next would negatively affect the man who had saved her life during infancy. "Somtimes I'd wonder if it was worth surviving all of the battles I've won, and... I still do."

"How could you say that?" Warhawk asked in astonishment. "Of course it was worth it."

"No it wasn't!" Coba exploded. "Don't you get it?! They were right! I never should have been born. I was the result of an affair that shouldn't have even taken place! Ask Superman: he feels the same way they do!" Tears were falling freely down her cheeks now, blurring her vision. She looked down shamefully. "I-I'm sorry," she choked. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Instead of feeling enraged at Coba's behavior like he normally would have, Rex was instead sympathetic towards her. "Don't be," he said, placing his left hand reassuringly on the girl's right shoulder. "I know it's tough." His expression hardened. "Don't ever think life is not worth fighting for," he said sternly. "You've got people who need you, whether you know it or not. I can tell that many of them have been fighting to keep you alive as well, including Bruce and your half-brother. Your mother and father would want you to keep going: they have fought for you as well."

Coba's heart wrenched at the memories of how Natalie Brooklyn had been killed by a gang of Jokerz to save her, how Warren McGinnis gave up his marriage with Terry's mother so he could give her a home, how Bruce Wayne took her in after Warren was murdered and saved her from Fix in a cemetery, how Terry overcame his inner demons to rescue her from Inque, and how Dick Grayson faced two gang members trying to kill her, despite having a verbal fight with him moments before. Not only that, but it took every ounce of emotional energy Warhawk had to help rid her body of cancer. _How could I have been so selfish?_ she thought angrily. _How could I think about being dead when so many have been helping me fight it away?_ It was then that she completely gave into her shame. She broke into guilty sobs, her body shaking with each sob.

Warhawk somehow knew exactly how Coba was feeling. He softened his facial expression before he gently hugged her. "It's alright, kid," he murmured comfortingly, disregarding the fact that it was usually frowned upon for a "big tough guy" like him to do so. "It's alright."

They stood like that for two full minutes of silence, with the exception of Coba's decreasing number of sobs. Coba finally looked up and smiled at him. "Thanks, Rex," she said gratefully in a quiet voice. "For everything."

The large warrior nodded sagely and grinned as a sign of acknowledgement and acception, although he hid some shock. _How the heck did she know my name?_

"_While you pathetic animal-posing humans are just standing around, your much more pathetic friends are walking straight into the traps I set up for them._"

Neither of the two heroes remembered Starro's prescence until he just spoke. Coba pushed herself away from Warhawk and looked through the tank urgently. "_What do you mean?_" she asked in Starro's native tongue.

Starro glared at her, only to receive a much more violent one in return. "_I'm serious,_ _Starro!_"she snarled, tracting out her claws dangerously. "_What do you mean?!_"

The creature gave in, now knowing for sure that it was not a good idea to mess with the young Bat. "_I knew they would show up one day, so I set up two traps for them. One is that there are six robotic replicas of Superman: a set of three for them, a set of three for any other intruders. The other is that there are several of my offspring waiting to spring at them._"

"_Is there any sort of plan that you have having to do with controlling them?_" Batgirl inquired.

"_Yes,_" Starro confirmed. "_There is a large door submerged in water in the cave I described earlier. I told my offspring to use Aquagirl to open it and to have the others stand guard._"

"What's going on?" Warhawk asked urgently. "What is he saying?"

Coba turned to her friend, pulling her mask back on as she did. She quickly explained what Starro had said. "I'm going after them," she concluded.

"Are you crazy?" Warhawk exclaimed. "You're still recovering from that last battle you had with Superman. You'll get killed!"

The girl looked at him gravely. "They're our teammates, Warhawk. Besides, one of them is my half-brother. I can't turn my back on them."

Warhawk thought deeply for a moment. _She's got a point, but she can't do it alone._ "Fine," he gave in. He grinned grimly. "But you'll have to deal with the fact that I'm going with you."

Coba grinned appreciatively at him once more. "Not going to be very hard."

Something dawned on Warhawk. "I don't know where the Fortress is."

"Neither do I," Coba confessed. "But I know someone who does. Come on!"

Starro watched from his tank as the two vigilantes left. _Normally I don't feel any remorse for humans_, he thought, _but that young one's got spirit. I've never come across someone who could take Superman down single-handedly without Kryptonite, let alone be already crippled by pain, and still rise up to a much greater challenge beyond their abilities. If there's one human I'll miss, it's Batgirl._

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

***= (original meaning of the word "lame" is meant (which is meant to describe someone with a weak body part that limits the amount of movement one can make))**

**Well, that does it for my longest chapter ever! Again, I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter written and posted. It took me a long time to figure out what all I wanted to cover, and an even longer time to reveal a shocking truth having to do with Coba's past. Of course, this chapter was a bit personal for me as well: as a little kid, I was called a slow-poke because of my brace, and a dummy because of the learning disability I literally have (although, like Coba, I've learned how to master it for the most part). I'm not saying all of this to have you all feel bad for me, I'm just stating where the inspiration for Coba's rough past originated from. There are some major differences between me and her, though: I'm not the result of an affair; I've never lost my memory of my entire past; I'm not a vigilante; both my parents are still alive; and I have a 'full' brother instead of a half-brother.**

**Yep, I'm adding in my own idea of Warhawk's back-story (well, at least what was going on before he joined the League), and showing that he's opening up to Coba since she proved to be worthy of his trust after saving him. A lot like what happened with Marina in an earlier chapter, eh?**

**Please leave a review in the box below. Who knows? Some reviews might help me write the next one faster. And don't worry: Chapter 7 will be much more exciting than this one. See ya next time! **

******P.S: I wish I could say "Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel," but I can only say "Same Bat-channel" because I have no idea when I'll get Chapter 7 written and posted.**

******7/23/2013: Chapter 7 is in progress, but it is taking much longer to get it finished than I had hoped. To my dedicated readers, thank you for your patience.**


	8. Chapter 7: Fortress of Solitude

**Author's Notes:**

**Sorry this chapter took so dang long! Oy, I'm terrible at getting things written and posted right away, aren't I? Oh well: here's Chapter 7! Please R & R and enjoy...**

* * *

The remaining Justice League members marched through the main corridor in the Fortress of Solitude—with Superman, Aquagirl, and Batman taking the lead—until they came to a stop in front of a large door. Superman pressed a button and took a small step back as the door opened. Batman and Aquagirl gasped in shock at what they saw: multiple starfish-like creatures had latched themselves to several large rocks towering above to a deep pool of salt water. The team stepped into the large cave in awe. "Starro really did use me to cultivate these things," Superman gasped.

"Looks like they're gonna be released into the ocean," Terry observed.

"And once they were out, it wouldn't be long before they'd take over," Marina added gravely.

Barda looked closer at some of the starfish, careful to keep a good distance away from them, as Superman spoke once more. "How do you propose we get rid of them?" he wondered aloud.

"You've been taking care of Starro for how many years and you don't know his weaknesses?" Kai-Ro asked in surprise.

"Batgirl used electricity earlier and it worked," Terry pointed out. "Why don't we use that?"

Barda pulled out the booming device and turned to her teammates. "I've got a better idea," she said solemnly.

As the large woman was about to press the button, a large bubble formed on the surface of the pool and moved towards the group. Four ripple lines appeared just before two of the starfish creatures jumped out, catching hold of the heads of Superman and Barda. Another of the creatures then jumped and did the same to Kai-Ro, who immediately tried to pull it off of himself. Aquagirl tried to keep one away from her face by catching it with her hands, but the creature was slick enough to get out of her grasp. Terry immediately moved to help Marina, but felt another creature pounce onto his back and it tried to crawl up to his face. Thinking quickly, he pressed the middle button on his utility belt. The suit's electrical field zapped the creature and caused it to jump off of him with a painful screech. Terry could only watch in horrified fascination as Barda tried to pry off the creature that held on to her, but went limp a few seconds later.

The now possessed heroes looked up at Terry in unison. The starfish holding Superman's mind captive moved down to his chest as his eyes flared up. The teenage Dark Knight backed himself up against a cave wall as the Justice League came at him, the starfishs' eyes staring at him with rage.

"You've gotta fight this thing, all of you!" Terry said urgently, looking at each person individually. "You can't let it control you. Aquagirl! Barda!"

The team still came at Batman, forming a circle around him to keep him from escaping.

~!~

Only a few seconds less than five minutes after their departure, Warhawk and Batgirl arrived at the Fortess of Solitude. Warhawk was the first to step out of the Batmobile. "You mind explaining to me again why we had to ride in that thing?" he asked irritably, rubbing his sore back. He had been sitting in a crouched position for the entire flight, which had become uncomfortable in just thirty seconds. With no room to shift into a more comfortable position, he had to wait painfully for the flight to be over. "Flying solo is easier on the back," he added.

Coba carefully lowered herself from the Batmobile to the snowy ground, feeling and hearing the snow crunch beneath her feet. "Hey, I offered you the pilot seat before we left," she pointed out. "Besides, it's better to fly the Batmobile through this blizzard than it is to fly solo through it."

"I still don't see why we had to take this crippling vehicle," Warhawk mumbled, hoping the sound of the blizzard would cover his voice.

To Stewart's chagrin, Coba heard every word he said. "It's the only vehicle wit the coordinates of this place built into its navigation system, _and_ it has protection from the weather." She gestured to the Fortress entrance. "Ladies first," she jested.

The large hero's face contorted in disgust. "Have you forgotten that I'm male?"

The girl shook her head with a small grin. "No, but _you_ seem to have."

"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?"

"Well, for the main thing, you're complaining like the average housewife."

Warhawk rolled his eyes, but could not suppress a smile. _Leave it to a teenage girl to point that out_, he thought. His face became grave once more as he walked through the entrance cautiously, keeping in mind Starro's previous warnings—told to him through Batgirl—about three to six Superman robot clones. For all the two companions knew, their teammates may have somehow evaded the three robots meant for them. "Leave most of the fighting to me," he whispered to Coba.

_Not my style_, Coba thought, although she nodded in understanding at her friend. "Alright," she murmured. _He's worried about my lungs, but I don't blame him: they're still pretty torn up._

No sooner had they stepped into the main corridor did a pair of lasers come shooting at them, causing them to jump in opposite directions of each other. Batgirl instinctively threw a batarang in the direction the deadly rays came from. An explosion erupted, sending small shards of metal and electric circuits in every direction.

~!~

From inside the cave, the possessed Justice League members heard the explosion, causing them to look towards the main hallway instead of the cornered Batman. Superman narrowed his eyes seriously. "We've got company," he snarled. He turned to Lantern. "Kai-Ro, go see who's here and bring them to us," he ordered.

"Yes, Superman," Kai-Ro said dutifully, before hovering silently out of the cave.

Terry decided to take advantage of the League's distraction. Thinking quickly once more, he pulled out a flare bomb and threw it between him and his captors. He flew up to the cave's ceiling and pressed a button on his utility belt as he broke through the rock, pulling himself to the surface. The Batmobile hovered above him with the lower door opened, allowing him to fly up into it. _It didn't take the Batmobile long at all to get here_, he thought. _It's as if it was already nearby._

A sickening feeling formed in the pit of Terry's stomach. "Oh no!" he gasped in terror. _Coba's here! She and Warhawk are the intruders!_

It was not until the light from the flare had faded that the team realized their prisoner had escaped. Superman looked up at the newly formed hole in the ceiling. "Stay here and carry out the plan," he instructed his companions. "I'll take care of Batman."

Just as the teenage Dark Knight decided to turn around to help his sibling, the sight of the Man of Steel popping out of the hole to pursue him changed his mind. _Sorry, Coba_, he thought sadly. _I'll have to help you when I get back. _If_ I get back._

Inside the cave, Barda turned to follow Lantern. Aquagirl stepped in front of her companion. "What are you doing?" she asked sternly. "Superman told us to stay here and wait for Kai-Ro!"

"No, Superman told _Kai-Ro_ that we would wait for him," Barda corrected irritably. "He didn't tell us anything!"

"He told us to stay here and carry out the plan," Marina pointed out.

"Which can't be carried out if Kai-Ro's distracted for too long," Barda countered. "You can't get me to change my mind. You can either help me or stay here."

Aquagirl watched as the large woman stalked out of the cave before following her. _I can't carry out the plan on my own, so I may as well help them_, Aquagirl thought.

~!~

Coba facepalmed. _I just gave away our position with that explosion_, she thought irritably. _I know it would have been given away eventually, but I didn't want it to be _this_ soon._ An alarming sight pulled her out of her thoughts. "Look out!" she shouted to Warhawk.

Warhawk rolled to one side as more lasers shot at where he had been sitting. Coba had very little time to react as the robot came flying towards her, the deadly rays of its eyes getting closer and closer to her. She managed to dodge to the side, but immediately felt herself being lifted into the air by another robot. Warhawk was about to pursue them when he was thrown to the ground by the clone that first attacked. He jumped back up and faced the robot competitively, although he despised the idea of leaving Coba to fend for herself. "Bring it, tin-man," he challenged his opponent.

Thinking fast, Batgirl turned on her suit's electric field. The robot holding her released her immediately, though it did not explode until Coba had fallen halfway between it and the ground. The explosion thrust Coba to the ground, knocking the wind out of her lungs. She coughed and gasped painfully for air before awkwardly standing back up.

The metal-clad warrior's blood boiled at the sight of Coba's fall, his rage driving him harder in his fight against the remaining Superman clone. The clone, however, managed to dodge every attack Warhawk made and was able to return it faster and stronger. Warhawk tracted out his claws and swiped them at his opponet. The robot dodged, slamming its fist into Warhawk's protected stomach. Although the robot's fist was crushed upon impact, the breath was knocked out of the hero's lungs. The clone took advantage of this time to slam its good fist underneath Warhawk's chin, sending him flying backward. Warhawk hit the ground and found himself unable to move as the robot came back at him, ready to tear him apart with its lasers.

_Not this time, circuit-junk_, Coba thought angrily. She charged at the Superman clone and jumped onto its back, yanking its head back and forth in hopes of dislodging it. The clone staggered backwards and started thrashing about, trying to get the abnormally small teen to release it. Coba clung on to it grimly with one arm around its neck as her other hand turned on her suit's electric field. Once the field was activated, the girl let go and managed to pull Warhawk out of harm's way as the robot exploded. She grinned at her companion. "So much for leaving the fighting to you. Exactly how many times do I need to save your life?" she teased, helping him to stand up.

Rex grinned back. "You did what you had to," he said sagely. His grin faded. "The battle's still young, kid, and I do believe that more life-saving will end up occurring."

"Whether it's me saving you or the other way around," Brooklyn said knowingly, "but definitely with us having to save the others someh—look out!"

Batgirl pushed Warhawk to the side as two large, glowing green hands tried to grab them from behind. Warhawk instinctively grabbed her and flew up into the air, gliding away from the hands. "What was that?!" he cried out.

"It was Kai-Ro," answered Coba as calmly as she could, even though she was just as surprised as her friend. _Stopping the creatures may be harder than I originally thought._ An idea popped into her head. "We'll have to turn back around," she informed him in a low voice.

"Are you crazy?!" Warhawk whispered back. "He'll catch us for sure if we do!"

"Not if you set me on the beam right next to us and maneuver those hands," Coba explained. "It'll be easier for you if you aren't carrying me while flying, and I'll be able to jump from beam to beam."

"How can you be so sure?"

Coba flashed a sly grin at him. "I'm the psychic sidekick, remember?"

"I'm going with Barda's earlier comment on that," Warhawk said uncomfortably.

"Which was what again?"

"Psycho," the large hero replied.

Brooklyn let out an irritated sigh. "Just trust me on this, alright?"

Warhawk thought it over briefly. _Well, she _has_ been right so far_, he thought, _and I still owe her a few for saving my life._ "Alright, kid," he said quietly. "Be careful."

"I'll try," Coba promised. "Good luck."

Without further ado, Stewart placed Coba on the beam before looping around in the direction opposite of the one he had been flying in. Coba switched on her suit's camouflage feature, grateful that it still worked after her battle with Superman, and jumped from one upper-wall beam to another. She eventually came to a stop just above the cave entrance, pausing briefly to watch Warhawk weaving his way pass the young Green Lantern. Coba quickly pressed herself against the upper wall as she heard Barda and Aquagirl come out of the cave.

"Guard the entrance," she overheard Barda instruct Marina. "I'll help Kai-Ro get Warhawk and Batgirl."

"Alright," Marina agreed.

Barda dashed to where Kai-Ro was struggling to grab the elusive Warhawk. Silently, Coba lowered herself to the floor by climbing down, for her gliders had been torn off by Superman earlier that evening. After making sure Marina was still unaware of her presence, the small teen shut the cave door and manually locked it. Aquagirl turned too late to see Coba turn off her invisibility and slash her hand across Aquagirl's face with her claws slightly electrocuted, only striking the starfish-like creature and causing it to yell out in agony and release her. Marina shook her head as if to clear it before looking at her liberator. "Batgirl...?" she murmured.

Coba let out a small sigh of relief, for she had managed to not scratch the older League member in the face when she clawed the starfish. She pulled out a bag similar to the one she had placed Starro in earlier and placed the creature inside it before tying the bag shut. "Are you okay?" she asked Aquagirl.

Aquagirl nodded as she cast a glance behind her. "Yes, I'm fi—watch out!" she yelled suddenly, throwing herself and Batgirl to the ground.

A ray from Barda's megarod had shot at where the two heroines were standing just a moment before, sending a few pieces of rock flying everywhere upon impact. The large woman stopped directly in front of them, the starfish's single eye glaring at them competitively. Coba instinctively jumped back up and charged headlong at Barda. Aquagirl noticed Barda preparing to blast Coba with the megarod. "Batgirl, no!" Marina screamed in terror.

Warhawk heard Marina's scream just as he pulled out an electric taser Coba had handed him earlier and lightly zapped Lantern with it. The fish released Kai-Ro at that moment. Much to Warhawk's relief, Kai-Ro recovered quickly. "Grab Barda once I distract her from the 'Girls!" he instructed in a serious tone as he flew in the direction of the fight. _There's _no way_ I'm going to let Batgirl die right now: I worked too hard to save her as an infant._

"Got it!" Kai-Ro replied.

Fortunately, Coba had managed to dodge to the side as Barda shot at her. The young vigilante flicked a batarang at the possessed League member's hand, knocking the dangerous weapon out of it. She had no time to react as Barda jumped at her and pinned her down, clamping her hands around her throat as she did. Coba struggled to wriggle free, but her attempts did nothing to loosen Barda's deadly grasp. Marina jumped on Barda to try to help the teen, but was roughly bucked off, sending her to the hard ground. Coba was unable to reach the button to turn on her suit's electrical field, for her arms were tightly pinned beside her body. She knew that all she could really do now was to wait for suffocation to take its toll or for someone to stop Barda before it got to that point.

"Batgirl!"

Coba looked in the direction of the voice and saw Warhawk smash himself into Barda, driving her to the ground and causing her to release Coba. The girl gasped desperately for air and tried to sit up. Aquagirl quickly rushed to Coba's side and helped her stand up. "Are you okay?" she asked nervously.

Batgirl nodded, gently touching her now bruised neck. "Yeah," her voice rasped out.

One of Kai-Ro's glowing hands enveloped itself around Barda and held her tightly as Warhawk pulled out his electric taser. Unfortunately, Barda forcefully kicked it out of his grasp before kicking him away from her. She struggled wildly in Lantern's grasp. "She's breaking loose!" Kai-Ro exclaimed.

Without giving it a second thought, Coba rushed to Kai-Ro's aide. She turned on her suit's electrical field as Barda broke free from the tough grip of Green Lantern's glowing hand. Barda charged headlong at Batgirl, her powerful fists ready to beat the living daylight out of her opponent. She threw a forceful punch at Coba's face, only to have the girl dodge it. Coba sprang at the large woman and grabbed her tightly, allowing the electricity from her suit to zap Barda. The starfish clinging to Barda's face released its grip with a painful shriek before being grabbed by the claws of Coba's left hand, the girl turning off her suit's electricity at that moment.

Upon awakening from her imprisonment, the first things Barda saw and felt were of Coba releasing her tight grip on her and of the sight of the starfish in the opposite hand. Barda's jaw suddenly clenched in anger, her body tensing up at the same time. Coba took a cautious step back, although she kept her gaze calm and firm. After a long, tense moment, Barda managed to relax and smile at her. "Not bad, Batgirl," she complimented. She winced at the pain shooting up from where Coba had gripped her. "I could've done without being electrocuted, though."

"Sorry about that," Brooklyn said apologetically. "There was nothing else I knew of that would've worked. Well," she said, realizing otherwise, "except maybe laser-vision, but I don't have that at all. The only person who _does_ have it is Superman, who's not here but has probably already been taken care of by now."

"He has been, sis."

The League turned to the main corridor's entrance in surprise to see Batman standing next to Superman, who was obviously still a bit dazed, and was supporting him. Coba could clearly see a bag in her half-brother's right hand, correctly guessing that it was containing the creature that had been controlling the Man of Steel. Terry grinned at her. "What do you know?" he spoke again. "We both defeated Superman without using Kryptonite or killing him!"

"We Bats have quite a few tricks up our sleeves, don't we?" Coba said with a sly grin.

"I trained you both well, then," Bruce's voice said into their com-links. They could tell he was grinning as he spoke.

"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in," Superman groaned painfully to the two young Bats, unaware of Bruce's statement. It was then that he realized he was talking to Coba as well as Terry. "I thought you were going to stay behind!" he said incredulously.

"I was, but I changed my mind," Coba answered.

Kal raised an eyebrow at her. "What made you come here and drag Warhawk along? You could've gotten both of you killed!"

"You could've been killed too, you know," Batgirl countered coolly. "And I didn't 'drag' Warhawk along: he _chose_ to come with me." Her eyebrows narrowed into a Batglare, causing everyone to flinch. "We can either stand here and argue further while those starfish creatures figure out how to take us all on, or we can save all discussions until after we round up those things and get them out of this world. So what's it gonna be?"

All of the League members stared at Coba in shock, surprised that she had spoken in that manner to one of the world's greatest superheroes. Batman covered his face in embarrassment. _I can't apologize to him for my half-sister's behavior because she's absolutely right_, he thought. _She has to apologize herself—hopefully after he apologizes to her._

Despite his fondness for Superman, Terry could clearly tell and not appreciate that Superman had something against Coba for an unjust reason like Terry's mother, Mary McGinnis, once had. _I'll probably be frowned upon for backing Coba up, but she's in the right as usual, and Superman can either get with the program or die with the knowledge that he had ruined everyone's futures._ He turned to Kent. "Well, have you decided yet?" he asked gruffly. "Or would you rather be controlled by one of those—" he gestured to the starfish Warhawk had removed from Lantern earlier— "things _again_?"

Warhawk stepped forward. "I'm in," he said. He looked directly into Kal's eyes, narrowing his own. "Even if you're not," he growled.

"I'm in, as well," Marina agreed. "Sorry, Kal, but they're right."

Without saying a word, Barda and Kai-Ro stood next to their companions. Coba could tell they were willing to help her and Batman. Superman heaved a sigh, steadying himself as he tried to stand up completely on his own. He suddenly stumbled, falling as he did. The only thing that broke his fall was Coba, who instinctively caught him as he fell and helped him stand on his own. He looked at her curiously, wanting to ask why she helped him although he had been so cold to her. What came out of his mouth instead was: "Is this what it's like to have weak legs?"

Coba nodded solemnly. "Yeah, for the most part."

Superman was silent for a moment. _For a few minutes there I was practically walking in her shoes_, he thought. He grinned at her appreciatively. "Alright, I'm in."

Batgirl grinned at him briefly before it faded and she turned to face the others as well. "Kai-Ro," she inquired, "can you create a large tank with water for us to put all of the creatures in?"

Kai-Ro nodded sagely. "Of course I can."

"Barda, does your booming device have enough energy to be used again?"

"Yes," Barda answered. "What do you plan to do?"

"To catch the creatures and boom them somewhere else," Coba replied. "I don't know where, though."

"We'll have to deal with that after we've caught the things," Batman said seriously. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Did Starro say where he came from, by any chance?"

"No, he didn't," Coba confessed. "I'll have to ask him later." She remembered something. With the rest of the team following behind her, she unlocked the cave's door and opened it. _It would help us to get the job done sooner if the door's unlocked first_, she thought, fighting off her feelings of embarrassment. She turned back to face her companions, her facial expression still solemn. "Alright, let's do this."

* * *

**Chapter 8 is currently in the process of being written, and I should be able to get it written faster than this one. **

**I re-did the character poll on my profile, so now the three who already voted on the previous one can vote again if they want- -since I added a few more characters a while after they voted.**

**Please leave a review below: they are always appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 8: The Offer

The Justice League returned to the JLU tower after almost ten minutes of rounding up the starfish-like creatures: Superman, Barda, Warhawk, and Kai-Ro through the boom-tube; Batman and Batgirl in the weakly fixed Batmobile, which had been damaged during Batman's quarrel with Superman. Kai-Ro held the creatures in a tall, cylindrical tank filled half-way up with water to ensure that the creatures could not escape. Led by Coba, Superman and Batman, the team approached the tank containing Starro. They were all surprised to see the creature's only eye flicker with relief. "_How did you—_" he started.

"_—survive and beat your allies?_" Coba finished gently, using the creature's natural dialect. "_I used my wits, of course._"

"_You seem to be the only person who does,_" Starro observed.

"_Well, Batman actually used his wits earlier,_" Batgirl explained. "_He had to take on Superman like I did._"

"_Except he had it easier than you did. I'm much more experienced at controlling Superman than the others are._"

"_True._" Coba was silent for a moment. "_There's still one thing that I don't quite understand_," she said sagely.

"_What might that be?_" Starro inquired.

"_When you were controlling Superman and trying to kill me earlier, why'd you take off my mask although you already knew who I was?_"

There was another moment of silence. "_I wanted to see fear,_" the starfish confessed at last, "_but instead I saw defiance, rage and determination—and a bunch of bloody spit splattering Superman's face. That was disgusting, by the way._"

Coba could not help but smirk at the memory. "_I know. I just wanted to get the message across that I was not gonna die without a fight._"

"_You got it across, all right,_" Starro said, something of a smile in his tone. "_Even before you spat._" His expression became grave. "_I know what you're planning to do, kid: to send my kind back to where I came from._"

Batgirl nodded solemnly. "_That's correct. But we need to know where you came from._"

Starro blinked sadly. "_I don't remember what the planet was called,_" he confessed. "_Even if I told you what it looked like, you still wouldn't know what I'm talking about. You'd have to see it for yourself to know._"

"_I figured you might say that._" Coba motioned for Aquagirl to step forward, although she was still talking to the creature. "_If it's alright with you, Aquagirl's going to get a glimpse at what you remember of your home planet._"

"_Is she able to do that?_" Starro inquired.

"_Yes, I am,_" Marina answered calmly.

The creature thought it over for a moment, then said, "_It's alright with me. Go for it._"

"_And no tricks,_" Coba cautioned, a dangerous glimmer in her eyes. "_Otherwise you'll never get home._"

"_I wasn't intending to, but now I know for sure that I won't,_" was Starro's blunt reply.

Marina lightly touched one of Starro's legs. "_Focus on what you remember of the planet,_" she instructed.

"Alright," the starfish said submissively.

Aquagirl closed her eyes for a few moments, focusing on Starro's memory. She held out a hand. "Barda, let me see your boom box," she requested.

_Then open your eyes_, Barda thought a bit irritably. Instead of voicing her thoughts aloud, she handed her teammate the device.

Marina, still with her eyes closed, pressed the booming device's button. A large portal opened up, revealing a strange land covered completely with water and reddish-brown rocks. All of the creatures stared at the land in awe. Starro smiled and blink back tears of joy, muttering a single yet emotionally powerful word: "_Home._"

Coba looked from Starro to the image. _I can tell by the look in his eye that that's the right place_, she thought, feeling uplifted. She looked at Kai-Ro and nodded. "This is it," she said. "Let them go."

Kai-Ro nodded before holding the large cylindrical tank through the portal. Coba noticed Starro looked rather disconcerted and knew right away what was bothering him. "_Don't worry,_" she assured him. "_We're not going to keep you here for more than a minute. I just figured that you'd like to say a few things to us before you leave._"

Starro was flabbergasted. "_First of all, thank you for sending me back,_" he said, his voice shaky with shock. "_Second of all, you don't need to act like you didn't read my thoughts: I'm well aware of that glint in your eyes._"

Brooklyn chuckled a little. "_It's _that_ obvious, eh?_" She managed to lift the heavy rectangular tank containing the creature and stood next to the portal. "_Take care of yourself and the others,_" she said solemnly.

"_Of course I will!_" Starro said with a smirk. He looked at Batgirl thoughtfully. "_You know something, kid? You're not that bad of a person—for a human impersonating an animal, that is. You're not even that bad for a person in the Justice League._"

Coba grinned in acknowledgement, although she wondered about that last statement. She shrugged it off. "_You're not that bad for someone who wants to take over the world,_" she offered.

The creature blinked. "_I like you, kid,_" he said solemnly. "_You've proven to be a worthy opponent... although I hope our paths never cross again._"

"_I agree. Goodbye, Starro._" Coba carefully held the tank through the portal and gently poured Starro and the tank's water into the foreign sea below. _I'm supposed to be heartless towards him, but I can't help it_, she thought. She allowed her brother to place a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulder and pull her away from the portal, allowing it to disappear into the air as if it had never existed.

Warhawk placed a hand on Batman's shoulder. "Well, kids," he said with a smile, "I gotta admit: I was wrong about you two."

"That's an understatement," Kai-Ro exclaimed. "You saved the world!"

Superman looked at the two Bats gravely, although his eyes glinted with excitement. "Think you can get used to it?"

Terry and Coba looked at Kal-El in surprise. "You're saying that you want us to join _full-time_?" Terry asked.

"They certainly are," Coba murmured.

"We could use you," Aquagirl said good-naturedly, smiling.

"I don't know," Batman said gruffly. "You guys play awfully rough."

"Come on," Barda urged. "It'll put you one-up on the old Batman." She grinned. "He never made it pass 'part-timer.'"

It was Superman's turn to smile. "Yeah. He wasn't what you call a 'joiner.'"

McGinnis looked down solemnly. "Maybe he and I have something in common after all," he said quietly, walking towards the Batmobile.

Kent's smile vanished. "More than you think, son," he murmured after him. "More than you think."

_I wonder what he means by that_, Coba wondered. A strange thought came to her, though not for the first time. _Is Terry somehow related to Bruce, too?_

"What do you think, Batgirl?" Warhawk inquired, pulling the girl out of her thoughts.

Coba looked up at Warhawk gravely, secretly grateful that he had brought her back to reality lest she let her imagination get too wild. "I'm sorry," she said sadly, "but I have to agree with Batman on this one. I can hardly even stand on my own after all of that running-around that had to be done. Besides," she added, "I'm still a sidekick. I won't come up with a 'solo career' for another few years when I outgrow the name 'Batgirl,' if I come up with one at all or decide to continue my life as a vigilante. I'd probably join then—that is, if the offer's still on the table at that time."

"For you and your brother: it always will be," Superman replied with a small, solemn grin.

The other League members nodded in agreement. "Even as time goes by," Kai-Ro added, "we will never forget what you have done to help us."

"You might forget," Brooklyn said grimly, "but then again you might remember after you forget." _It happened to me before._

"We'll do that, then," Kai-Ro confirmed, although he was taken aback by how much more solemn the girl had become.

"We'd better head back to the Batcave, sis," Terry called to Coba. "The Batmobile still needs to be repaired."

Coba nodded sagely to Terry. "Alright." She turned to the Justice League and nodded in farewell before following her half-brother to their crippled vehicle. As the vehicle lifted off, only two members of the League waved a single farewell at the siblings: Aquagirl and Warhawk. Coba watched as their figures became smaller and smaller as the distance between them and the departing Batmobile grew. _I'll miss them_, she thought grimly,_ but I know we'll meet up again soon._

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**That does it for Chapter 8. Yes, even Coba is still not certain of how she and Bruce are related, let alone how Bruce and Terry are. Epilogue (which I am currently in the process of writing) is next after this one, which returns us to the room where Coba was discussing the events of her time in the League to Amanda Waller.**

**Reminder: there is still a character poll concerning this series up on my profile page. You may vote for your favorite characters (up to four of them, this time) if you would like to.**


	10. Epilogue

**Author's Notes:**

**Here it is at long last: the epilogue! Please R&R and enjoy (to the best of your ability on that last part)...**

* * *

**Metropolis**

**Present.**

Coba finished her narrative in just barely under an hour. Her throat was sore and raspy from talking for so long, but she was able to soothe it between sentences throughout the telling of her experience with the Justice League with a swallow of herbal tea. Now that she was finally done speaking the lengthy part, she was able to drink more of the tea until her throat felt better. She knew Waller would start asking her questions concerning the events of the story in a moment—that is, after the woman had considered what she heard. _I'll be a bit surprised if she manages to take in _all _of what I said_, Coba thought, suppressing a smile. _It was certainly overwhelming for me!_

After almost half a minute of silence, Waller finally spoke. "There must have been more to why you chose not to join the Justice League," she stated bluntly.

The girl was a bit surprised. "How'd you guess that?"

Amanda suppressed a chuckle, managing to keep her solemn facial expression. "I have been reading people for over fifty years now, Miss Brooklyn. Nothing—and no one—gets by me unnoticed."

"Except Starro," Coba pointed out. "And you weren't able to guess what all Superman had been hiding from you until I told you."

"I guess I meant _almost_ nothing and no one," Waller admitted with a small smile. "I'll bet nothing gets past you, though: you're sharper than I."

The young warrior shook her head, grinning a little herself. "I wouldn't say 'nothing,'" she said modestly. "There are still things I am unaware of that are basically right under my nose." _Like how I'm related to Bruce_, she thought grimly.

The woman grinned bigger. "You are definitely honest." Her smile vanished. "What was the main reason why you chose not to join the Justice League?" she inquired.

Coba shrugged dismissively. "It's basically superstitious nonsense, really." She could tell by the look on Waller's face that she was not about to accept such a short and unspecific answer. Letting out a quiet, uncomfortable sigh, the girl continued. "Well, there was something Starro had said about me not being bad for a person in the League—although I'm not an official member—that got me thinking. The members had been very cold to Batman and me when we first arrived. Not only that, but after I stopped Superman and got Starro off of him, he became rather icy towards me as well. They all softened to us after we saved them, but that was—well—after we saved them. I can also tell that they're not ready for us to join just as much as we're not ready to join them, if not more. Aquagirl had confided in me earlier that they need to work on being more sincere with each other. At least until that happens, I won't be joining: it's dangerous to work with people when you don't feel comfortable about putting your trust in them. I can't say anything on my brother's behalf about the subject matter, though."

"Nor do I expect you to," Amanda said solemnly. "Would you help the team every now and then when called upon?"

"Absolutely," was Coba's response. "I know it's supposed to be that the League needs a Batman, but I also know there'll be times when just Batman in the League is not enough."

Waller nodded sagely. "You're absolutely right, Miss Brooklyn." She gestured towards the doorway. "You are—" she started.

"—free to go home," Coba finished, masterfully hiding her relief as she spoke.

Although she was caught off guard by Batgirl finishing her sentence, Amanda nodded once more. "Yes." She extended a hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Brooklyn."

"It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Waller," Coba returned, shaking the woman's outstretched hand. She stood up from her chair carefully, as her legs had fallen asleep from sitting still for so long, and exited the room. Just as she turned the corner after leaving the building, she bumped into a large man and just barely managed to regain her balance in alarm. Both of them looked at each other in surprise, immediately recognizing one another. _Warhawk!_ Coba almost yelled, but managed to keep quiet in case someone were to be listening. "Mr. Stewart! What brings you here?" she asked curiously.

Warhawk, dressed in his civilian clothes instead of his armor, recovered from his shock and grinned at her. "I was going to ask you the same thing, kid," he said good-naturedly. He lowered his voice and leaned in a little closer to the girl. "Amanda Waller asked me to come and talk about the most recent incident in the League. Everyone else did already."

Brooklyn nodded knowingly. "She asked me to do the same thing, too," she replied quietly.

"Has she asked your brother about it?"

"She did, but he hasn't been able to come or say anything."

"I'm guessing he's been busy?"

"Yep."

Rex nodded in understanding, though he was silent for a brief moment. "Hey, Coba," he spoke up, keeping his voice low. "I'm sorry I didn't say this the other day, but, thank you..." he paused, swallowing his pride, "for saving my life."

Coba nodded. "You're welcome, although I was going to say the same thing to you." She noticed her friend's confused look. "Barda had me pinned down, remember?" she whispered.

The man's eyes seemed to flash in recognition. "Oh yeah," he breathed. "I remember."

"Something tells me that it scared you more than it did me," Coba observed. "Mind sharing your feelings about that incident?"

Warhawk nodded slowly. "I felt that you were still too young to die. I was terrified, when Barda had you pinned down like that, that you she'd kill you."

"And she would have," Batgirl said grimly. "That is why I thank you."

"I forgot to thank you as well, Coba."

Stewart and Coba spun around to see Clark Kent standing directly behind them. The large man continued. "You saved all our lives even when we doubted you, and I was one of the top doubters. I thank you for that, and I also apologize for my behavior. I was out of line with my behavior."

The small teen grinned reassuringly. "You're welcome, and you are forgiven," she said quietly. "I was out of line to talk to you the way I did, as well, and for that I apologize."

Kent grinned. "That makes us even then, kid. I'd better get going," he said suddenly. "I'm picking up cries of distress from—"

"—the parking garage just a few blocks away from here," Batgirl finished. She noticed his and Warhawk's surprised faces. "I'm a bit psychic and I have strong hearing, remember?"

Rex was the first to catch on. "Oh yeah—_psychic sidekick_," he teased good-naturedly.

Coba smiled. "A fitting title, really."

Superman stifled a laugh. "Well," he said in a serious tone, "I'd better get going if I want to reach those screams in time." The man prepared to take off, but suddenly stopped and glanced meaningfully at the girl. "Oh, and Coba, try to stay out of trouble." Without waiting for his companions to say a word, he soared majestically into the air and steered his powerful body towards the nearest parking garage to aide the owner of the cries.

"I'd better get going if I want to be to that meeting on time," Warhawk told Coba. "I know Kal can handle this on his own." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It was good to see you again, kid. Could you tell your brother hi for me?"

"Of course I can," Coba said with a grin. "It was good to see you again, too. Take care of yourself, okay?" _Wow, the former patient is telling her former doctor to take care of himself!_ Coba thought, successfully stifling a chuckle.

"You too, kid." Warhawk removed his hand from her shoulder before he walked into the building, leaving Coba by herself.

Brooklyn continued walking down the sidewalk of Metropolis for a few minutes until she came to the nearest subway station. Just as she was about to enter, a man came running from the direction of the parking garage Superman had been heading towards and made a lunge at her, although Superman was hard on his tail. Coba instinctively sidestepped and tripped him. _So much for staying out of trouble_, she thought grimly.

The man grabbed Coba's right leg and flipped her to the ground. She quickly kicked him away from her as he tried to tackle her and stood up, ready for him to stand back up and come at her again. Without warning, the man jumped up and pulled out a knife and swiped it at her. Since she knew ahead of time that he had a knife, Coba did not delay in dodging the attack. He swiped the dangerous blade again, but this time Coba tightly gripped his arm before shoving her small body under him and using it to flip him onto the cold, hard cement. She tightly pinned his arms behind his back, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Had enough?" the girl inquired gruffly.

The man grunted in painful confirmation.

"I'll take care of this, kid," Superman said from behind as he bent down to grab the criminal.

Coba could not help but smirk as she let him pull the man up. "Yeah, cause you did such a good job of it a minute ago," she said sarcastically, though in good-humor.

The Man of Steel noticed two security guards walking in their direction and called them over. "Make sure you get this man to the police station," he instructed. "He's been wanted for murder for several weeks and just tried to kill a woman in that parking garage back there."

"And was taken down by a tourist in a matter of seconds," Coba muttered.

"What was that?" Superman asked sharply, whipping around.

"Nothing," Coba said innocently, shrugging.

"We'll take care of him, Superman," one of the guards said bluntly. He led his companion and the murderous man away from the two heroes.

"Are you okay, Coba?" Kal asked concernedly once the guards and their prisoner were out of earshot.

Batgirl quickly checked herself over, and then nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." Superman narrowed his eyes. "Didn't I—" he started sternly.

"—tell me to stay out of trouble?" Coba finished. "Yes, you did, but that man came straight at me. Trouble caught up with me."

"Why didn't you try to get yourself out of it?"

"I knew it would be useless," Coba answered gravely. "If I ran, he would've caught up, and I'd be dead right now."

Kent grinned a little. "You're too much like Bruce for your own good, kid," he teased, although Coba could clearly tell that he was also serious.

Brooklyn nodded sagely. "I know." She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Although something tells me you know more about our relations than I do."

Superman's grin faded. "Bruce and Waller told me about it themselves," he explained solemnly. "Bruce will tell you when he feels that you and him are both ready for it—if he ever does."

Coba knew too well what Superman meant: Wayne had always had a tough time exposing secrets that had been hidden for so long. She simply nodded at the Man of Steel. "You're right." She glanced at the subway station. "I'd better get going."

"See you later, kid," Superman said. "And thanks for your help with taking that man down, although I didn't ask you to."

"You're welcome. See ya!" Coba called as Superman took off into the air once more. She turned around and headed into the station. _Well, for a trip that was supposed to be serious and uneventful, it was certainly serious and eventful_, she thought with a grim grin as she boarded the next train to Gotham. _Kinda like when Terry and I were brought into the League, now that I think about it!_ Her grin faded. _I really need to ask Bruce about how I'm related to him: chances are really slim that he'll tell me without being prodded a bit first._

* * *

**That does it for this story! Many thanks go out to those of you who followed this story even though it took so long for it to be updated, especially to FanFiction members T2 Angel and Sailor Sacred Moon for posting reviews while the story was still in the process of being written. If not for your support, this story may not have been written faster (let alone at all).**

**Once this epilogue is posted, I will be on something of a hiatus from writing fanfiction for a while to resume working on my non-fanfiction novel, which is already three years in the making. I might take a break from my novel writing to write a one-shot of Coba talking to Bruce about their relations, but again it's just a possibility and is not set in stone. Who knows? I might even keep writing my other fanfiction stories off and on as I work on my novel!**

**The character poll for the series is still on my profile page and will be there for a over a month (maybe even several). Still, since I'm not completely certain with the level of my impulsiveness, it would be better if you voted right away if you want to. I'm not trying to force ya: I'm just stating. **

**Please leave a review in the box below stating what you like about the story and/or the chapter and what you thought could've been done better. It's fine if you don't want to, but I'd appreciate it if you did.**

**Until next time, have (a) good day(s)! :)**


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